Within Enemy Lines
by ravenclawfever
Summary: Sequel to:From Salem to Hogwarts. Silver finds a new school year with a new last name & secure family. Yet with the Potter name comes rivalries too deep to break. She soon finds herself stuck between loyalties & with information she had rather not known.
1. Ignorance is Bliss

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

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**Ignorance is Bliss**

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The streets of Hogsmeade were buzzing with activity, as they always were, but especially now since Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizadry had just been let out on holiday a week ago. Silver Potter found herself caught between an intense bickering between two old warlocks whom both seemed to be arguing over who had the better shade of purple on their long cloaks.

"Sorry, excuse me." She said with a small smile, hallowing dimples on her cheeks, as she walked right in between them.

"Violet or lavender?" One of the old men demanded suddenly.

She furrowed her brows, confused. "They're both quite lovely, really."

They didn't seem satisfied with her answer but she quickly managed to get away before they had any further objections.

The three broomsticks was the most popular attraction at Hogsmeade for students. It was a battered looking place, dimly lit & had a strange sort of smell. But it didn't make it any less appealing. It was quite homey & warm above it all, with high ceilings & a burning fireplace - although summer had just begun.

The sound of bells swinging against each other rung from above her head as she pushed the door open. She recognized a few faces, most were hufflepuffs - no direct acquaintances. A rogue strand of black hair fell into the middle of her forehead from what used to be her thick bangs. They were now in the process of being grown out and were constantly finding their way straight into her face, much to her annoyance. Quickly brushing it aside, she swept it up and off. She stood for a moment, taking the liberty of giving the room a quick scan when she felt a set of hands wrap around her waist from behind her.

"For a second I thought you might be looking for your friends, but then I realized you hadn't got any." Draco pouted without an ounce of sincerity.

"Your right, which means I don't know you, which leaves me baffled as to why you're touching me. I should just go." Silver said as she tried to pry his hands off of her, but failed miserably. Instead he turned her around to face him & planted a short, but sweet peck on her lips.

She smiled as he pulled away, loving the taste of his lips on hers. "This is very inappropriate behavior, considering I don't know you."

He looked at her, seeming to grow quite bored of her charades & drew her in for another sweet kiss. "Alright by me, just as long as my girlfriend doesn't find out." He said innocently.

She slapped his shoulder. "You're a pig."

He smirked in response, that same smirk that never failed to make her go weak in the knees - as cliché as it sounded. He looked up, as if something caught his attention, but in really it _them_ who had become the center of interest. His face fell as he saw pairs of judgmental eyes all staring at him in curiosity.

He wasn't feeling very bright anymore, his mood completely taking a turn as he once again gained his cold façade. He found a vacant far off corner of the room & nudged her over in that direction, taking the lead. She didn't try to hold his hand, she hadn't even expected him to show that much public affection earlier. But then again, she could never fully read him enough to predict his next move.

They sat down, he pulled out her seat before he walked over to his own chair & she could feel the tension as soon as he did. Never mind that last part, in cases such as this, he was indeed predictable. He relied immensely on public opinion, almost always for the frightening reason that something would somehow reach his father.

Lucius Malfoy hadn't the slightest idea of what had happened between the pair. He seemed to be under the impression that his son and pansy parkinson were still going together, and that evidently wasn't nor had it ever been the case.

"My friends are staying with me for the summer." Silver said, trying to get his mind off of whatever troubling thoughts currently residing in it.

He looked up from the table, "When you say friends.....you don't mean looney lovegood do u?"

Silver playfully narrowed her eyes into a glare, "And what's so terrible if it was Luna?"

"Oh nothing. She's off her bloody rocker is all."

"Draco, she's perfectly sane., wise even. She's spontaneously surprised us all with a handful of insightful words u know."

Draco looked at her through his lashes, smiling a bit crookedly. "Right, I'm sure she has. So who is it then?"

Silver shook her head, but answered anyways, "Rupert & Lucy! You know Rupert right? His father Cornelius Lions works at the Wizengamot."

Draco thought for a moment, "Ah yes. He was at the manor for last year's Christmas Ball."

"Yes that's right. I'd almost forgotten!" Silver squealed excitedly, "well he should be getting here.."

She was cut short by a voice behind her, "..right about now?"

Silver spun her head around and leaped out of her chair, throwing herself into Rupert's waiting arms. Rupert laughed heartily, squeezing her tightly, "I've missed you so much."

Silver stood back for a moment, "I've missed you terribly."

Draco looked on from his seat, when he was suddenly overcome with a fairly familiar feeling. It was the same nauseating feeling that would bother him whenever he saw Silver with Dominic Dates – just amplified a few decibels considering this bloke had his bloody hands snaked around had enough experience to remember the name of it - jealousy. Draco must've not noticed the gagging expression on his face, but Rupert surely did. His big brown eyes caught sight of him and he broke the embrace, leaving his arm draped around her shoulders.

"Rupert, you remember Draco don't you?" Silver smiled at the pair of them.

"Of course," Rupert said flashing his brilliant smile, "How have you been?"

Draco stood stretching his hand for a handshake, "Alright, thanks."

"Eeep!" A musical squeak took the form of a petite girl, not nearly as tall as the two friends she had managed to squirm in between, "Silly!"

Silver's face broadened to an endearing smile, "Lu!" She said, wrapping her arms around the small girl's neck due to their difference in height.

Silver proceeded to introducing Draco to Lucy as well, and she was elated to finally meet him. Taking him by surprise, no one was ever particularly happy to cross him. They sat ordering a round of butterbeers for the lot. Draco watched as Lucy and Rupert airily enjoyed each other; Every now and then placing a graceful peck on the other's cheek. The three of them seemed so carefree together, they were perfectly unaffected by their surroundings. Draco couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy, he would never be so carefree. And with recent events, he didn't think he could ever smile again – until he saw Silver.

He downcast his eyes from being fixated on her to the glass mug in his hands. _Why wasn't it ever simple? _He thought to himself. He couldn't possibly deserve her, he was far too broken to ever function the way he used to. His mind was constantly filled with unpleasant thoughts, thoughts that at times came to scare him even. He could no longer inflict this upon her, he decided. It wasn't right that he had dragged it on for so long, he shouldn't have let his feelings cloud his reasoning. He had told himself it was a bad idea from the beginning. He had been foolish to think it would change.

He felt Silver's comforting touch on his arm, a warm sensation lingered where she laid her hands. Her touch didn't shake him from his thoughts, instead he dug himself deeper into them. Thinking of how painful it would be if he were to….

He found himself unable to finish the thought. He clenched his fists until the sound of his name brought him back to the present.

"Draco? You alright?" Silver drew a hand to his forehead, brushing blonde strands of hair away.

He stared blankly, and then shook his head in realization. "Uh..yeah sorry – I just…I've got a head cold."

Her green eyes fell in concern, "Well, Rupert and Lucy are leaving – they've got to settle into the Leaky Cauldron before it gets too dark out."

"It was really nice meeting you Draco." Lucy grinned as she waved goodbye. Rupert nodded and then they were off.

Silver watched them leave, redirecting her gaze at Draco once they were gone. He still seemed to be consumed in thought.

"You sure there's nothing wrong?"

Draco stretched his pale lips into a forced smile, reaching her hand to place it in his. "I'm sorry."

Silver eyed him strangely, "Really, it's hardly something to be sorry for. They understand you weren't feeling well."

He squeezed her hand, "I'm sorry I'll never be as lighthearted as your friends."

"What?"

"You deserve better Silver, someone that can _really_ make you happy." He whispered with a trace of sadness in his firm tone.

"What are you going on about Draco?"

"I think it's best, if we just…if w-we put this behind us and just forget it ever happened."

Silver turned her body to face him directly and cradled his face In her hands, "_You_ make me happy. Forgetting that we ever happened would be positively dreadful."

He felt her hot breath on his face, instinctively leaning in closer until their foreheads were touching. "You and I both know it's best if we end this."

She traced his defined jaw line, up to his ear and landed on his neck, "Well then.." She let her lips linger on his, "then I choose to be ignorant."

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**A/N: Here is is! The highly anticipated sequel to ****From Salem to Hogwarts !  
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**Did you all like it? I really hope so!  
So as you may have noticed (by the title) this year is going to be a bit stressful for poor Silver.  
Draco Malfoy is now her boyfriend, and she has taken her brother's name, thus being a constant reminder that she is now Harry Potter's blood relative.  
Not only that, there's a bit of a twist - that you'll all catch on too in about the third or fourth chapter.  
**

**Alright, you all know the drill.  
Please review!! I love them dearly.**

**No previews for this chapter, but I will start handing them out soon (: **


	2. The Daily Prophet

**The Daily Prophet**

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The day the Hogwart's express was set to arrive back at King Cross Station, Harry and Silver grabbed their things and walked through the platform together. In the near distance, Silver could see Remus Lupin leaning his side against a brick column. Platform nine and three-quarters was quite noisy, as it was the last time she remembered travelling through it. Muggles scrambled about the place, some with loads of luggage and others with almost none. They received a few ponderous stares from the muggles, who although some would at times encounter this strange phenomenon, were always intrigued by the children walking past with owls fastened to their old-fashioned trunks.

"Hello Harry, Silver." Lupin smiled, his shaggy reddish-brown hair sticking up in different places. He offered to grab Silver's trunk and without another word took it.

"Why do I have to go back to the Dursleys?" Harry pleaded, quite desperately.

Remus laughed, amused, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "it's alright Harry, it'll be over before you realize it." he bent at the knees to reach closer to his eye level, "Alright Harry? Do you need anything I can help you with?"

Harry drew his lips into a straight line, "I'm fine, thanks." He said. He wasn't comfortable talking about Sirius Black's death just yet, "Ron and Hermione, they keep asking questions." He seemed a bit miffed.

"You don't have to say anything to anyone, unless you want to." Silver said with a look of concern on her face.

He looked into her green eyes, a reflection of his own, and smiled. She continued, "And when that time does come, I hope you know I'll be here to listen to you brood." She smiled.

He returned her smile and nodded, "I'll see you soon then."

After Harry had gone off, conversation with Remus wasn't as smooth as she would've liked, it was veiled with silent gaps, small talk, and the weather. But she expected this wouldn't last long, it was just an awkward situation for the time being.

He took her on a quick tour of the house, it wasn't very large. It reflected a great deal on its owner. It was a bit untidy, there was some dust on the high ledges of the moldings on the walls, and it was quite dark. He turned on a lamp, providing some illumination in the narrow hall.

"Sorry, It's the nearly the first time I see this place too." He said referring to his stay at Grimmauld Place all throughout her school year.

She told him it wasn't a problem and continued to follow his lead. He walked into a room that seemed to have not seen a visitor in years, but there was a small house-elf dusting away feverishly. The elf reminded her of Mincy, the elf she had almost single-handedly murdered at Malfoy Manor not too long ago.

"This can be your room..if you'd like." At first he started off determined but seemed to wary at the current state of the room.

The room had potential she had to admit, it was quite large for one. Plenty of room to make it whatever she liked. Of course, nothing in comparison to her bedroom at the manor or at Barty's residence before, but she reckoned it to be a good thing.

"It's lovely." She said simply, gracious that he had even brought her into his house as his own.

"It can be, once it's been spruced up a bit." He smiled, stomping on a spider that had seemed desperate to escape the abandoned room, "I'm hoping to have it ready by nightfall."

He continued to walk past the next two rooms before he took a turn down the stairs. He offered her a seat and traipsed off into the kitchen. A few minutes later her emerged through the doorway with a tray sparsely filled with two slices of shepard's pie and a glass of pumpkin juice.

"I'm afraid I'm not much of a cook." He said ruefully before he set the tray down in the wooden table in front of her.

She laughed, "Don't worry about it."

They ate the remainder of their meal in silence. Lupin put his plate on the table and so did Silver.

"So, Draco Malfoy I hear?" Remus began as if it were a very normal topic of conversation.

Silver blushed, suddenly worried about what he would think, being as he was her parental figure now. "And where'd you hear that?"

Remus laughed, "Let's just say, Arthur Weasley isn't very fond of the idea."

Silver stifled a laugh.

"I personally don't think it's one of your best ideas, but as long as you're careful and he's good to you – I don't see why not." Remus slightly turned his head around and gave her a quick wink for good measure. He saw something different in the younger Malfoy than in Lucius. Although even once Lucius had found himself foolishly in love with Narcissa, the mistake there was he chose his service to the Dark lord to be his upmost priority. He hoped that Draco would have already learned from his father's mistakes.

"Remus?"

Hhm?"

"Remember last Christmas, when you asked Harry to write telling me to stay close to Draco? Well..why?"

Remus stiffened and ventured a bit further into the living room, all arranged into soft brown couches.

"It's plainly clear to me that Draco would never let anything happen to you under his watch. I thought that even if Lucius decided to act upon his schemes earlier, while you were residing at his residence, young Mr. Malfoy wouldn't allow it or he would at least warn you."

Remus looked at her, sensing confusion form her part. "You see," he pressed on, "I was always around, I was at all those parties and gatherings at Malfoy manor. I was more present in your life than you think. And it would never cease to amaze me how easily Malfoy was taken by you, the way you two interacted. I knew you were very dear to his heart, even after not speaking to each other for five years."

Silver smiled, feeling a warm sensation pinching her insides. "Thank you."

With great elation, Silver's bedroom was indeed tidied up by nightfall and after dinner (which seemed smaller than lunch) and a spot of tea they bade each other good night and went off to bed.

The next few days were rather uneventful. It wasn't until the upcoming week that things took a turn. Most of the awkwardness of the first day of her stay was alleviated and Silver and Lupin had bonded over a few chores. He would easily finish up in no time flat with his wand, but Silver on the other hand, being banned from magic outside of school, didn't find it as easy. After they had finished, Lupin waited on the Daily Prophet in the kitchen table as Silver rummaged the fridge for anything edible.

As soon as the paper had arrived, Remus scanned through it – seeming as if he were concentrated on finding one particular section when he made a moaning sound.

"What is it?" she asked, almost bumping her head with the top of the small cooler.

Lupin folded the parchment in half and pointed a long finger at the text with a picture of her brother shying away from the camera.

"Harry Potter: The chosen one?" Silver read the print aloud and looked over at him, "What do they mean the _chosen_ one?"

Remus rubbed his temples as if he had a terrible migraine. "They think he's the only one that could defeat you know who."

Silver blinked, feeling hot in the face, "That's ridiculous! Absolutely…..,"she paused in thought,"Is it?"

Remus kept his eyes on the picture of Harry, "Silver, if you really think about it, well as much as I hate to admit it, it makes sense."

Silver opened her mouth, scandalized, then frowned, "He hasn't even written or replied to any of my letters."

Remus nodded in consensus. "You mind if I head out for a few hours? I wont leave you here alone of course, I'll ask a friend of mine to look after you."

"I'm fine alone."

He shook his head, "It's too dangerous, you _need_ to have someone here."

"Rupert and Lucy are staying at the Leaky Cauldron, I can owl them and ask them to stop by."

"Sure you can invite them over, but I was thinking someone a bit more qualified." He said wearily and almost at that same instant a poof of smoke reflected off the kitchen window from the yard, taking the form of a woman. Remus smiled and hastily pushed off from his chair to open the back door. Their greeting was a bit dry, but there was something in her eyes that suggested anything but.

"Silver, meet Nymphadora Tonks." Lupin stood in between as he introduced the pair.

Nymphadora Tonks held out a hand, "Just Tonks."

Silver smiled, "Well then just Silver for me."

Tonks laughed. "Alright just Silver."

Tonks averted her gaze to look at Lupin, who shyly avoided it. "Alright then, I'll be back as soon as I can. You are welcome to invite your friends, Silver."

And with that he exited out the back door and disappeared into a poof of smoke as well. Tonks cross examined the room and made a face. "You poor thing, you've been living in this ghastly place.."

Silver laughed, "It's actually a lot nicer than it used to be. We've gotten rid of well, let's say the floors aren't moving as much as they were before."

Tonks and Silver spoke for a little while longer until Rupert and Lucy arrived, interrupting them straight in the middle of their conversation. She took them up to their room and plopped down on her four poster bed. She'd done quite some work on her room, with a bit of Lupin's help of course for she couldn't possibly finish it all in time without magic. She remembered the lovely shade of dark purple Narcissa had painted the walls in her room at the manor and used the very same color.

"You look tired." Lucy pointed out as Rupert nodded in agreement.

"I _am_ tired.,."

"Don't string us along. What's going on?" Rupert landed on the edge of her bed.

Silver remained silent, which worried her friends desperately, and when she finally did speak – it was out of despair.

"Harry…has to face you-know-who."

Lucy gaped, "What? No, how do you know?"

"I just talked to Remus about it before he left, I'm almost certain that's _why_ he left actually. According to the newspapers he's.." she lifted her fingers into air quotes, "the chosen one."

Rupert stared at her with a blank look on his face, "What does that even mean?"

Silver sighed, "It means that he's the chosen one to fight that..that murderer!"

Lucy stood and climbed on to the bed to sit next to her, "Relax sweetie, have you talked to Harry about this?"

"No! He doesn't answer my owls." Sliver said worriedly.

"Where can we find him?" Rupert suggested as he too moved closer.

Silver pushed herself up to look at them precariously, "What are you aiming at Rup?"

He shrugged very nonchalantly, "Well, if he's not answering you. We'll have to find him."

"I can't, Remus wont let me go anywhere unprotected."

"And what do you call us?" Rupert said a bit insulted.

"You're hardly considered protection." Silver said, smirking.

Lucy nudged her in the ribs, "Well then, I think we have to find a certain someone to come with us?" She said winking.

Silver's smile dissolved into the creases of her laugh lines. Suddenly overcome with reluctance. "He wouldn't."

"Why not?" Rupert asked.

"Draco wouldn't understand. Harry and him…well they don't exactly see eye to eye."

Lucy and Rupert swallowed this information, both seeming to realize the levels of complication this can and probably have already caused.

"Essentially, they pretty much hate each other." Silver decided to be straightforward.

Rupert placed his arm around Silver and then Lucy, "As long as they don't kill each other, this can work out perfectly."

Silver swallowed a lump in her throat, "That's the problem."

"You think Tonks would notice if we left for a few hours?" Rupert suggested.

Lucy glared at him, "Of course she would Rup, she's an auror for godssake."

The suddenly, as if he had been struck with englightment, Rupert grabbed both of them by the hand and led them downstairs in haste, nearly knocking Tonks over in the landing.

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**A/N: Thank you to all my lovely reviewers (:  
The next chapter's going to be a good one! It's going to be but the beginning of Silver's troubles.**

**Please review! They make me happy.  
Which consequently means I write more = more updates (:  
**


	3. Spinners End

**Spinners End**

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"You think Tonks would notice if we left for a few hours?" Rupert suggested.

Lucy glared at him, "Of course she would Rup, she's an auror for godssake."

The suddenly, as if he had been struck with enlightment, Rupert grabbed both of them by the hand and led them downstairs in haste, nearly knocking Tonks over in the landing.

"Oh I was just going up there to check up on you." Tonks said, stabilizing herself against the railing.

"Awesome, listen Tonks, do you mind if we take Silver over to the Cauldron? Lucy and I just found out that our old headmistress is there and she's dying to see Silver, literally." Rupert said, very politically.

"Yeah, she's like, really old." Lucy added.

"You can come with us on the way over there."

Tonks seemed to be thinking this over for a bit, and after a few suspicious glares, she decided it was alright if she went, so long as she accompanied them the entire time. They agreed to her conditions and set off to Diagon Alley. Once they'd arrived, with Tonks close behind, she took a seat downstairs and watched them disappear into the inner depths of the inn.

"Nevermind, this isn't going to work." Rupert closed the door behind him and sighed in disappointment. "She can't follow us, how are we supposed to leave with her downstairs?"

"She caught on, she isn't stupid." Lucy interjected.

"It's alright, it's nice to get out of the house for a bit. Remus has had me locked in there on account of the madness about." Silver said softly.

"You're gotten very British since the last time I saw you." Rupert laughed.

Silver stuck her tongue out at him, "What d'you expect? I've been picking up on their accent."

"Yeah, but remember she hasn't always been completely American either Rupert. She used to live in England before she came to Salem and we Americanized her." Lucy smiled, amused.

"Wow, you are so easily influenced." Rupert made a pitying sound and shook his head.

"You're a git." Silver sneered.

"What's a git?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Rupert crossed his arms over his chest in defeat. Being as he was closest to the door, he heard the sound of two bickering voices on the other side. He leaned flat against the door in an effort to listen. Silver regarded him strangely and stood up as well, following his lead. The voices were hostile, they belonged to men. Silver moved around Rupert and turned the doorknob open, leaving it open just a crack. A flash of blonde caught her eye as it walked past the door, and she pulled the door open further, pushing Rupert off. The man's long blonde hair lay flat against his black cloak, as he nervously turned around to see who had peered in on him. His face twisted in malice.

"Why, _Potter_, how very nice it is to see you." The sarcasm in his words heavy.

She narrowed her eyes at him. She had lost all respect for the man. "You _knew_ didn't you? You've always known and that's why you've always treated me as if I were beneath you. Even when I myself knew nothing of it."

"My, my, there is great hostility in your voice. You might want to keep it down." He hissed and gracefully gave the corridors a quick look to make there wasn't anyone around, "Of course I knew. It is very well known that your pesky brother has been but a bother to the Dark Lord for all these years – naturally, you would be but another obstacle." The frightened look on her face made him laugh pompously, "Oh don't flatter yourself my dear, he's not after _you. _But don't doubt in that pretty little head of yours that you wont be used as bait once again." he said almost too quickly for Silver to catch.

"You should be in Azkaban, along with Barty." She sneered in loathsome.

He advanced closer to her, shoving his walking stick on her collar bone, she jumped a step backwards."I suggest you keep quiet, or I'll –"

"Or you'll _what_ father?" Draco's footsteps echoed behind her, and her heart somersaulted at the sound.

"Are you done with your…meeting, Draco?" Lucius asked, collecting himself.

Draco stood in front of her, tossing his father's walking stick aside. "Quite done, but I wonder what you were going to say at the end of that."

Lucius stood, affronted. "I don't have to explain myself to you. I'll be waiting for you downstairs, Draco." His words were slippery, seeming almost snake-like.

Once Lucius had walked out of sight, Draco turned to her, examining her thoroughly. He firmly placed both of his hands on the sides of her arms. She looked up into his eyes, trying to read them.

"What meeting?" she snapped. Tears prickled at her eyes, but she blinked them away.

He didn't answer, but instead continuing to look at her.

"You aren't going to tell me are you?"

In response, he took her hand and led her off into a room that he knew to be empty -the room where he had recently just inhabited with two others. It was silent for a few minutes as Draco looked down ahead of him, to where the two walls touched and continued. His mind was going over his 'meeting', as if he were re-living it. His chest felt heavy. _It was an honor_, he kept telling himself. It's what he'd always wanted. But as he stood there, in a barren room with this brunette beside him; he couldn't help but feel a bit of dismay. With his aunt and father in the room, everything felt right, as if this is what he should've been doing all along. With Silver Potter in the room, he wished none of it had ever happened. He snuck a glance at his girlfriend, reading the apprehension in her face so vividly, it was almost unfair that someone could reveal so much emotion in so much as in just expression. It mirrored his own, he would just never show it.

He sighed, and she consequently intensified her stare. The future that was now laid out for him was rewarding, as his father made him believe. But the only thought that scared him more than what lay for him this year, was that in that carefully planned future of his, Silver was nowhere to be found.

"Can you just, stay for a bit?" Draco said, his voice returning to his usual monotone.

"Why? I don't understand why you want to see me if all you do is stare into the walls."

"I feel better when I see you." He answered vaguely, although it was the most honest thing he had said all day. And it was because he did, he felt better having her in front of him, because he knew for that moment – she was in his sudden future, present, and past.

"Feel better from what? If you just _told_ me what was the matter, I'd be able to help you so much more." She pleaded.

He shut his eyes, "I can't."

Silver made a noise that sounded like something between a squeal and a cry for help. She pulled away from his hold and marched off to leave when she felt him reach to grab her wrist tightly before she had a chance to get the door open.

"_Please_, don't leave." He pleaded in a tone that she had _never_ heard Draco speak in. A tone she never thought capable of Draco feeling.

"I hate seeing you this way Draco.."

His thumb began rubbing circles on the palm of her hand, "I wish I could tell you everything."

"I wish you could too."

He let go of her hand, and let his back slide down against the wall and to the hard ground. He didn't bother to move, he just sat there motionless, drowning in his thoughts as he so often would when they were together. It was harder to get a word out of him and she wondered if this was his idea of keeping his barriers up. She knew him to reach a period of defense when he let someone even slightly pry him open. He was closing down again, hoping to shut her off. But she knew him far too well to his pitiful attempts demise their relationship.

She soon did the same, cautiously sitting beside him. She let her head rest against his shoulder, feeling his protective arms wrap around her.

"What are you doing out here?" he spoke into her raven-black hair.

"Remember I told you that Lucy and Rupert are staying here." She stated, a bit miffed that he hadn't listened to her.

He nodded, "Is Lupin here too?"

"No. I don't know where he is."

Draco jolted his head up, "So you're here with just your friends? Are you mad? You can't go off wandering around alone like this." he expressed the most emotion in that one sentence than she had seen the entire summer.

"Relax, I've got an auror with me downstairs."

He seemed to have listened to her because she could instantly feel his tension being released. With the news of deatheaters on the loose, something he couldn't seem to escape, there wasn't a soul or a place out there that was safe; not even Hogwarts. Because this year, he was bringing the outside in; he was luring danger into the once considered safe walls of Hogwarts. And he hated himself for it because with accepting that Silver is a direct sibling to the person the Dark Lord himself sought out tirelessly; she herself was placed in mortal danger.

Draco thought back to the incident at the Ministry but a month ago. In order to get to Harry Potter, he pawned Silver as a sick form of lure to get him there. He suddenly felt nauseous.

Draco peered out through the tapered windows, "It's getting dark out."

In response, she nestled her head further into his neck. He laughed. "C'mon let's get you home."

For obvious reasons, neither could Silver visit the manor nor could Draco see her at Lupin's house. It was far too dangerous to have Silver at the manor. And Lupin probably wouldn't be delighted in the least bit to walk in to the sight of the boy who made his year at Hogwart's a nightmare.

"It's alright, Tonks is downstairs." She said lazily. He stood up, careful not to let her head fall, and outstretched his hand to help her up. She took it, landing straight in front of him.

"I don't know when I'll be able to see you again." he said ruefully, "but don't you dare come find me."

She slowly wrapped her arms around his waist."Why not?"

"J-just…trust me.."

"You'll write to me wont you?" She asked, slightly hopeful.

He lowered his head, placing his hands against the sides of her face. "I'm not sure if I can, but as soon as there's any way to reach you, I promise I will."

He kissed the top of her head, enjoying the feeling of having her in his arms; trying to save the moment in his mind for future use. He knew he wouldn't see her again until September first, giving him just enough time to drive himself mad. She pulled away, and before she shot him a quick glance, opened the door, walking across the corridor to Lucy and Rupert.

"We've got an idea." Rupert greeted her, grinning.

"There's a staircase that takes you down to the kitchens. The house elves probably wont mind, all we have to do is get past them and we're out of here without getting caught." Lucy was rummaging through her drawers for anything they might need. She pulled out her wallet which carried a few euros of muggle money, being as her parents were muggle born, "We'll take the London Underground over to Harry, and be back before Tonks notices anything fishy."

Silver felt a mix of hesitation and excitement. She longed for an adventure, and to hear from her brother even more. But Draco had just told her not to wander off alone, and with his connections to the Dark Lord, she should heed his warning very seriously. So against her better judgment and without another thought she decided, "Let's go."

She was sandwiched between Rupert and Lucy as they made their way into the kitchens, and off into the street. They took a few alleyways down and found their way into muggle London. Her heart suddenly felt light, this could work after all. Lucy was very comfortable in the setting, she lived amongst the muggles when she wasn't at school after all.

She took them to a very clever, yet primitive, form of transportation referred to as the London underground. She analyzed her surroundings pensively, a bit nervous at the idea of being surrounded by so many muggles – but tried to adapt Lucy's stance. Sure, she had read muggle books and studied their culture but it was another thing to be placed right in the middle of it all.

Rupert and Silver waited as Lucy made a queue to pay for their tickets and as soon as she did she instructed them to pass their tickets through a standing steel machine; then boarded the tube that would take them to Harry.

"The map says Pivet Drive should be a few blocks away. Here's his address," she said handing them each a copy, "Let's split up and we'll meet back here in fifteen minutes."

Silver looked down at the paper uncomfortably. She didn't like the idea of wandering off alone in unfamiliar streets. But she didn't want to seem like the pansy of the group, so she did as she was told and agreed to meet back. She started counting in her mind, in an effort to distract herself. When suddenly she found herself lost. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she scrutinized her surroundings, looking for some sort of sign or landmark she can relate to the map she held in her hands. She nearly broke off an edge of the parchment when she heard a sound coming from across her, in a bush. The strong smell of a dirty river filled her nostrils, and the eerie feeling of silence crept upon her. the bush rustled again, but this time a scrawny red fox climbed out of it with an old wrapper in it's mouth. Silver heaved in relief, until the animal suddenly grew aware of a popping sound. Silver slunk back into the depths of the darkness, when she then heard another popping sound. She made out hasty hushed voices, and then a bright green light struck the fox, letting it fall on its side, dead.

Silver shuddered. She was next, she had stumbled straight into the hands of Voldermort himself and he would finally kill her. Her heart stopped, she found it harder to breathe. She was almost gasping for air when she suddenly remembered how easily she could be heard in the silence. And then, a few feet in front of her, she saw two figures dressed in black cloaks. Both were women, one had a wild black hair, while the other had it falling neatly down her back. She recognized the second one, her blonde hair was unmistakable.

When she was sure the women were engrossed in their own matters, she pursued them as they walked, following suit yet keeping her distance. Her heart was pounding so loudly, she'd thought it had fallen out of her chest by Bailey's avenue. They suddenly stopped, seeming to be giving a small brick house a thorough inspection. Silver found herself even more lost than she had been before, she was weaved somewhere in between the maze of similar brick houses, which all seemed to be deserted. There wasn't a single light turned on in any of these homes, until the very end, at the house the women were examining. For a moment she panicked, she saw Narcissa's eyes flicker in her direction. And she swore that her eyes read of urgency, urging her to leave. Narcissa then proceeded to pretend to have only imagined something when Bellatrix asked her from behind, and then continued into the house. Bellatrix was about to follow suit, when her eyes suddenly landed to where Narcissa had looked moments before.

There was something moving in the shadows, Bellatrix was sure of it. Her sister had lied to her. But if it were an auror, Narcissa would've handled it, leading her to believe it wasn't anyone potentially considered to be dangerous. She sneered at Snape, and stepped away from him, advancing towards whatever might be hiding in the dark. The figure was about to leave, stumbling on a set of boxes strewn on the floor.

"Perfectus Totalus!" she incanted, stunning her victim, and with a thud hitting the floor. She smiled maliciously at the sight in front of her. Silver Potter had stumbled straight into her open arms. Things wouldn't have worked out more perfectly if the Dark Lord had planned it out himself.

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**A/N: I'm really glad that you're all loving the sequel so far (:  
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	4. Dumbledore

**Dumbledore**

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_What was this place?_

Her mind felt..empty. not empty in the sense that she had no recollection of who she was, but she had absolutely no idea how she had gotten to this unfamiliar street. The already dim lights coming from the streetlights flickered. She suddenly started to feel nervous. The cobbled street was dark, the neighborhood looked particularly unsafe, and she was suddenly engulfed with a strong repugnant smell. She walked forward a bit, hoping to catch sight of a sign of map of some sort but instead she heard footsteps. She stopped breathing.

Far ahead there was a dirty river, strewn with rubbish, which she had assumed to have been the cause of the foul smell earlier. Beyond the bank there was a dense area of trees and bark. The woods would sure enough conceal her from anyone coming her way. But that would firstly mean getting over to the other side, by means of the filthy body of water separating the two.

She decided it was worth a try, it was certainly better than standing there for the mere adventure of it. But it appeared that she had taken far too long in her decision making process. For no sooner had she decided to travel across the muck, there was a figure standing beside her in the dark.

"Ah, Ms. Potter – fancy running into you here."

Silver felt alleviated, it was just Dumbledore.

"Hello Professor Dumbledore." She said quietly.

He smiled brightly down at her, catching a glimpse of her through his spectacles. She examined him closely, how he had _aged_ in just the summer. He seemed so frail, so weak. He looked healthier in June, she was certain he did. His beard was longer, and so white it shone in the light of the full moon.

"And what, I ask, brings you to Spinners end?" He questioned airily.

Silver thought for a moment, trying to string a comprehensible response in her mind. But there was nothing to string. "Oh, so that would explain why I don't recognize this place."

Dumbledore stared at her, but not in shock as she thought he would. He seemed to know something she didn't, and she hated feeling like there was something she was too dense to catch on to.

"You see Professor, I'm not exactly sure _where_ I am." She clattered, pretending as if she weren't positively dying of shame.

He only smiled at her, focusing his attention on an alien muggle object. "I would be more than delighted to answer your questions, just as soon as I am diluted of what I have come to tell you. As I am unsure of whether you know of Lupin's condition.."

Silver shook her head no, suddenly anxious, "What condition?"

"We will get to that shortly. But due to this condition, I'm afraid you have to spend these upcoming weeks at another venue."

Her heart sank. "What's the matter with Remus?" She demanded crossly, awaiting for him to address the issue instead of keeping her in the dark.

He led her off closer to the bank, further away from the redundancy of brick red houses of the neighborhood when a screech erupted and a brawl between two stray cats that seemed to have begun in an alleyway, ventured off into the main streets.

"Would've been quite unpleasant to be a cat presently, wouldn't you say?" Dumbledore laughed shortly.

Silver only stared at him, not at all affected by his humor for it was over shadowed by her concern for her god father.

"Ms. Potter, years ago, there was an…accident, and unfortunate for us – Remus was involved. I presume you've heard of a man named Fenrir Greyback?"

Silver nodded, he had once been mentioned, she was unsure what was said but she knew it wasn't at all good.

"Well, Greyback is infected with lycanthropy. It is quite an unbearable condition." Dumbledore peered up the perfectly round moon in the cloudy sky, "He was a notoriously savage man. He preys on children, infecting as many as possible with the intentions of creating an army composed solely of werewolves. Werewolves that would be raised and mature with unfathomable hatred towards wizards. You may wonder why I have decided to enlighten you with a history of this man, but it is this man that has placed Remus in the said condition he is currently found."

"Remus….i-is a w-werewolf?" her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Indeed he is my dear, but worry not. He is keen on taking care of himself and has been doing a successful job so far. What has set him back today is that he has emptied his stock of wolfsbane."

"And so that is why I have to come find you Silver, you don't mind if I ignore formalities for tonight? For I do grow tired of using titles before names so often."

"Not at all." Silver said simply, a bit too overwhelmed to say anything else.

"Don't be frightened with this bit of information, for fear is only in your mind. It is but a mere figment of imagination you can simply choose to wave off. That is how the brave are differentiated from the weak, only those who can ignore fear, are truly courageous. And if you've inherited anything from your parents, as I'm sure you have, courage is embedded into your very veins. " He smiled wisely and continued, "If you don't mind, I've arranged for you to stay with Harry who will be spending the rest of his summer with the Weasley's. You are familiar with them I believe."

"Familiar, but that's all. I couldn't possibly impose on them for so long. I've never even met Ginny's parents." She said, a bit put off.

"It's quite alright dear, the Weasley's, Mrs. Weasley especially, is quite taken by having children to nurture in the house and with Fred and George gone off, she's already told me she is quite eager to have them replaced."

Silver stared at him stupidly, what could she possibly say? It was Dumbledores orders, she couldn't possibly argue.

"As soon as we've got your things packed, we'll head to the Burrow straight away. We are living in far too dangerous times to be travelling the streets at this hour. You should take particular care of yourself. Now, please grab my arm as tightly as you can."

And as soon as she did, the two figures disappeared, leaving the street as barren and quiet as it had been before they found it.

Apparition wasn't kind to her stomach. It was a rather nauseating experience for her. Not even the second round, upon landing in the Weasley's garden, did she get used to it. As soon as she had been able to gain control of her stomach, Dumbledore pointed off to the side. The sight was so terrible, she found her insides acting up again. His hand was black, almost as if it had suffered strenuous burns, eating away at his skin. He noticed and jerked his hand away in an instant.

"Just a small accident, nothing to concern yourself over." He said, and then continued to trail off about the Weasleys.

The Burrow as he called it was a quaint little house. It sort of reminded her of the house Remus lived in. it stretched up about three floors she reckoned, and it was very narrow. Before she knew it she was trudging alongside Dumbledore, making their way up to the house. Silver suddenly felt anxious, and more than that quite uncomfortable. Who was she to just stroll up to a stranger's home and dare make it her own? She hoped Harry was there, that way she would at least feel a tinge better about being so rude.

Dumbledore reached up to knock, careful not to use his injured hand, when a voice greeted them on the other side.

"Who is it?" said a woman's boisterous voice, "reveal yourself!"

"It is I, Dumbledore. I have young Ms. Potter with me."

And without another second, the voice swung open, revealing the lights and activity inside. Silver saw a stout, round woman with bright red hair and a friendly smile.

"Oh do come in dear. How do you do? I'm Molly Weasley. You must be Harry's sister! Oh! He's told us so much about you, what an honor to finally meet you!" She said eagerly, "Ron, Ginny, Hermione! Look who's arrived. So nice to have you here dear. Please come in, you too Albus."

Silver grinned brightly at her, feeling a bit warm inside from how lovely she had treated her.

"Silver!"

Ginny slid down the cedar railings of the staircase and landed in front of her, throwing her arms around her neck. "I'm so glad you've come."

"Yeah, I'm glad you've finally decided to accept our invitation to stay with us." Ron's voice came from behind her.

"Ron, you know she really had no choice..but regardless, I'm still glad you're here." Hermione cut in, with a bit of relief in her voice.

"Can't wait to tell Fred and George about this, they'd probably apparate straight back over here I'd imagine." Ron said, laughing.

"The twins are quite taken by you Silver, dear." Mrs. Weasley added as she walked past them, "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes everyone." She gave Silver a quick look, "Poor thing, Remus must be starving you. You're so thin! No worries, I'll have an extra helping ready for you."

Silver laughed heartily, "Your family's really exciting Ron."

Ron flounced his shoulders and smiled. "They're different, I can tell you that."

"So when are you going to write to them Ron? I'd love to see what they respond." Ginny said playfully.

Silver looked at them, puzzled.

"Would you stop blighting her, Silver probably wants to get up to her room and get settled." Hermione stated, concerned as always.

"Actually, that'd be great Hermione." Silver let her hand fall, demonstrating the weight of her traveling bag, "This is all quite heavy. Ron be a dear.."

"Why me?"

"Because you're _supposed_ to be a man." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron's voice cracked.

Hermione laughed, "C'mon girls, Ron we'll be upstairs showing Silver her bedroom."

And with that, the three girls ran up the staircase, leaving a dumbfounded Ron watching after them with Silver's trunk and owl, Hermes, beside him.

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	5. Fancies

**Fancies**

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Hermione and Ginny helped Silver unpack as soon as Ron had made it upstairs. She was sharing Ginny's bedroom, and Ginny couldn't be jumpier about the idea. Despite the enthused conversations about her, Silver couldn't stop thinking about earlier, just before Dumbledore had found her. What was she doing at Spinners end? She had never even heard of such a place, mostly because she wasn't at all familiar with muggle London. It was rather daunting, actually. All the while Hermione and Ron argued about the proper etiquette when corresponding to a guest, Silver busily racked her brains out trying to remember anything about what had lead her there. But nothing, absolutely nothing.

"Honestly Hermione, why'd you always have to be right about everything?" Ron frowned.

Hermione seemed pleased, a smug smile, bordering pretentious, graced her face. "I thought it was obvious, if you would've actually _read_ your books last year Ron.."

"Oi can we not talk about school _please_?"

Ginny agreed, "For once, he's right Hermione, I'd actually prefer to not think about the loads of exciting homework waiting for us September first."

Hermione almost giggled at the mention of exciting and homework, but she decided to lay it to rest.

"So how's your summer been Silver?" Ron prompted, quickly changing the conversation.

Silver blankly looked up at him, set astray from her thoughts, and smiled lightly, "It's been alright. Remus is brilliant, he hasn't underfed me as your mom suggests though." She laughed, "He's just been out of sorts lately, and then…" she paused, deciding it probably wasn't best to mention anything about Dumbledore yet, "Do you guys know anything about lycanthropy?"

Hermione stiffened, "A lycanthrope is a person with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf, more specifically, a werewolf under the appearance of a full moon," she shifted uncomfortably, "I'm almost certain we've already learned that haven't we?"

Silver inhaled sharply, "Do you know of anyone that has it?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, growing weary of a response.

"Why do you ask Silver?" Hermione pretended to suddenly be interested at a piece of parchment that had fallen on the floor from Ginny's desk.

"Just curious."

Hermione seemed to have finally let loose of a gasp of air she had been holding, "Oh! Well yes, I can talk to you more about it, it's quite interesting."

Mrs. Weasley's voice echoed from downstairs, announcing that it was now time for dinner.

"We better get down there." Ron said, with a bit of relief in his voice.

At dinner, Silver was introduced to Bill Weasley and his fiancée Fleur de la Coeur. She wondered how the pair even got along. The entire dinner was a tug of war of tension between Ginny and Mrs. Weasley against Fleur. Bill seemed rather unkempt with the situation, but then again, would anyone really like to see their fiancée outcasted from the family on purpose? Fleur seemed nice enough, she was a bit ostentatious in her manner but it must come from her upbringing in France, she assumed. Tonks, who had babysat her many times, although Remus insisted that babysitting was hardly the term for it, was also at dinner. She looked awfully glum, not much had changed since she had seen her last. But today she seemed worse. When she had seen her back at Lupin's, she seemed a bit brighter when he was around. Silver frowned, wondering what the matter was. Could she be feeling so upset over what had happened to Remus tonight, during the full moon?

Fleur was in the middle of a very animated recount of an encounter during her time at the TriWizard tournament when Ginny turned to Silver, who was sitting on the right of her, and insisted that she much preferred the name phlegm instead of Fleur. Silver laughed a bit too loudly, causing Fleur to clap with glee at how Silver had seemed to find her story so funny. Consequently causing Silver to clap her hands over her mouth, embarrassed, and nod in agreement.

"Where's Harry?" Silver asked, turning to Ron at her left.

Ron looked away from devouring his brisket for only a moment, "He's supposed to be here tomorrow morning mum said." He explained between mouthfuls.

Silver's lips formed an 'o'. She was assuming Dumbledore would bring her here when her brother was too, but with the circumstances it seemed he didn't have much of a choice.

After a round of dessert, conversation grew short, replaced with a chorus of yawns randomly spurting from person to person.

"I'm awfully tired, mum. Thanks for dinner. I'll see you all in the morning." Bill smiled as he stood up, grabbing Fleur's hand, and went upstairs.

Ron yawned, "I'm really tired too mum, think I'll be going –"

"Don't you for a second think I've forgotten it's your turn to do the dishes Ron! I'll be back in fifteen minutes to make sure you've finished."

Ron crossed his arms over his chest in defeat, smirking as he seemed to have come up with an idea, "Hermione, why with you being such a talented witch and all, I wonder if you'd like to help me?" He said slyly.

Hermione, a bit flustered and hot in the face, rolled her eyes, "I suppose so Ron."

They pushed back their chairs and at once headed towards the kitchen. Silver heard a bit of laughing and teasing from over there.

"They're in love, I know it." Ginny said. It appeared that the same thoughts were running through her head as well.

"They do look cute together." Silver smiled dreamily.

Draco came to mind once she said that. She had yet to hear from him, he hadn't written to her as he promised. Although he did say he would whenever he had a chance. Perhaps he hadn't found that chance just yet. But still, she couldn't help feel neglected. He was in for a rude awakening if he thought everything would be alright when they saw each other again.

"Tonks, you alright?" Silver asked, catching a glimpse of her sallow expression from across the table. Tonks took a moment to answer as Hermione came in and collected as many plates as her hands could carry.

"I'm fine thank you, but how are _you_ doing?"

She knew what she meant. She wanted to see how she was handling Remus being a werewolf.

"A bit uneasy, actually."

Ginny looked at her speculatively. "Why?"

Tonks cut in, "Ginny, you don't mind do you? I'd like to talk to Silver." She said, standing up and walking backwards.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, looking back and forth between Tonks and Silver, and sighed. "Alright. I'll be in my room if anyone asks."

Silver followed Tonks and joined her on a lumpy couch in the living room. "It's alright you know. As soon as he drinks the wolfsbane he'll be back to normal, he just takes a few days to fully recover." Tonks smiled reassuringly.

"So then if it only takes him a few days, why am I staying with the Weasley's for the remainder of the summer?"

"Dumbledore thought it best if you spent some time with Harry, I reckon he needs some time with his sister. He's still rather upset.." She trailed off.

"About Sirius." Silver said sadly.

Tonks looked hurt, "Yeah."

From the distance, Molly bellowed disapprovingly at Ron for baiting Hermione into helping him.

"I'd better go help Molly." Tonks smiled, a bit insincere, and gave Silver a comforting tap on the shoulder before she left.

Things didn't seem right anymore. Everyone spoke with hidden meanings and doubt. The secrecy of it all was nauseating. Silver had been living with Remus for weeks now, and not once had he confided in her of his condition. Then there wasn't a way she could remember what happened earlier at the muggle neighborhood. And then what irked her most, Draco. He too was wallowing in secrecy. She wanted to help him, but instead he chose to always walk knee deep in mystery. He'd prefer to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders if it meant he didn't have to talk about it. She let her head fall into the palms of her hands. In all honesty, she was terribly worried about him. With things the way they were with Voldermort, and Lucius Malfoy being what he was…

Silver shook off the thought. What would the dark lord want with a mere boy of sixteen? It was silly to even think it. But as silly as she tried to convince herself it was, she was frightened to see how plausible it was in her mind. She just had to sleep is all. She was too tired and overwhelmed to think straight. She pushed herself off the couch, bumping into Hermione as she neared the stairs. She had a lopsided grin, which was a very rare thing for Hermione. The girl hardly smiled at all, and when she did it certainly wasn't lopsided.

Hermione noticed her approaching and carefully mended her facial expression. "Silver! Where have you been?"

"I think the better question Hermione, is where have _you _been?" Silver asked, winking.

Hermione flushed. "Er..I was helping Ron remember?"

"I remember. And that's precisely what worries me."

"Honestly! Silver…_please_…it's…Silver!" Hermione found herself utterly tongue twisted.

Silver smiled coyly. "No worries Hermione, I'm sure you'll explain everything tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Why of course. How eager will Ginny be to hear the story once I tell her." Silver laughed, throwing an arm over Hermione's shoulders.

Hermione's face twisted in horror. "Oh no Silver, Ginny can't know!"

"Know what exactly?"

Hermione narrowed her eyes playfully, "You _are_ Ravenclaw. How have you managed to get _me_ exasperated for an explanation?"

They took a few steps up the stairs as Silver smiled smugly, "And why are you exasperated for an explanation? It must be because there's something that _needs_ to be explained about a certain…. redhead?"

"Fred?"

"No."

"George?"

"No!"

"Bill, perhaps?"

"Hermione!"

"Yes?"

"Ron!" Silver whispered anxiously, careful to keep her voice down at the mention of his name, "don't think I haven't forgotten what you told me last year when he was at the infirmary."

"You know he doesn't see me that way." Hermione frowned reluctantly, not sure if the fact that she was _actually_ telling Silver, or whether because of how badly it sounded out loud peeved her more.

"For someone who is referred to as the brightest witch of our time, you aren't very bright are you?"

Hermione gaped at her, insulted. "Excuse me?"

"You may be book smart, yes Hermione. You are outstanding at spells and schoolwork. But when it comes to the things that _really_ matter love, you're completely lost." Silver said warmly. They were now taking a few seconds on each step before stepping on to the next one.

Hermione seemed to be digesting the information quizzically. "I think I may be up for that sleepover after all."

Silver beamed and dragged Hermione up the remaining steps and the next flight of stairs to the third floor. She opened the door of what she thought was Ginny's room, but instead found Ron lazily sprawled out on his bed, who immediately sat up at the sight of them.

"What are you two.."

"Oops, sorry Ron." Silver giggled, quickly shutting the door for him.

She opened the oaken door and luckily found Ginny this time, writing a letter on her desk.

"Ginny, what do you say to a sleepover?" Silver asked, grinning.

It didn't take much to get Ginny wound up with excitement, just as it didn't take much to get Ginny cross either.

"Bloody brilliant! Just as soon as I finish this letter." She turned to refocus her attention on the parchment before her.

Hermione raised a suspicious eyebrow at Silver, giving Silver reason to believe this was no ordinary letter.

"Dean Thomas." Hermione mouthed to her inaudibly.

Silver was unfamiliar with Dean Thomas, she'd heard his name mentioned in Gryffindor affairs. So it was safe to say he was a Gryffindor.

"Ginny are you writing to Michael Corner?" Silver asked innocently.

Ginny made a puking noise and shook her head. "Certainly not. Michael's a git."

"Oh." Silver simply said.

"I'm writing to Dean." She said cheerfully, "He's so sweet Silver."

Silver smiled, "I've never met him."

Ginny spun around in her chair, "You must meet him then!"

"Dean's older you know. He's in our year." Hermione suggested.

Ginny stuck her tongue out at her, "Boys in my year are just that, _boys_."

"I hate to break it to you Ginny, but I'm afraid they aren't very grown up in our year neither." Silver laughed.

"I don't think they mature 'til they're about thirty to be perfectly honest." Hermione sighed.

"Well, that's because you fancy Ron. Dean on the other hand, he's very mature."

Hermione turned crimson, Silver laughed uncontrollably.

"I do not fancy Ron." Hermione said sternly.

"Of course you don't." Ginny agreed, half heartedly.

Soon the room was filled of laughter and hushed voices seeing as time had flown rather quickly and it was nearing three a.m.

Ginny was getting off a trail of laughter and had finally managed to collect herself enough to ask,"So we've talked plenty of Dean and Ron. What about you Silver?"

Sliver went blank for a minute, unsure of whether revealing that she was going out with Draco Malfoy was the best of ideas. "Oh well…you know…boring, but I want to know more about Dean, how did he ask you out then?"

Ginny blinked, "I've already told that story, it was very mundane, asked me out on the last day of the semester."

Hermione surfaced in interest, "Boring you say?" she asked Silver curtly.

Silver nodded, "Quite boring."

"I wouldn't think dating Draco Malfoy would ever be considered quite so _boring._"

Silver stared at them, wide-eyed, suddenly incapable of stringing a sentence together, "How –?

"Dad's not good at keeping secrets.." Ginny said sheepishly.

That's right. Silver remembered how Remus had found out through Mr. Weasley as well. But how did Mr. Weasley come to know if it?

"Ron didn't believe it at first.." Ginny began.

"But then when we gave him reasons to believe that it could very much so be true, he was just angry." Hermione finished.

"So it is?" Ginny demanded.

"It's true." And Silver went on to tell them of the events that spiraled between them, leading to their impromptu confessions. She explained how he came looking for her when she had kidnapped by his aunt, Bellatrix, and how, when he found her, it was the first time he had expressed any of his reclusive emotions towards her. Then about his strange behavior upon returning to school, and about what had really made the train late to start on the last day of school.

Hermione and Ginny looked positively agog at this piece of information. Hermione refused to believe that Malfoy had anything but malice hardwired into his system, whereas Ginny was in pure delight.

"It's beautiful if you ask me, Hermione, look at what Silver had managed to get out of that ferret. She's actually found a more decent side of him."

Hermione put on a face. "I'll have to see it to believe it. I can't fathom to think Malfoy actually did any of those things…not that I mean you're lying or anything, of course you wouldn't make this all up. It's just…._Malfoy…_" She left her mouth open at the end of that, pausing in shock.

"Does Harry know?" Ginny asked, her stomach slightly turned upon uttering his name.

"Not on my account. I think he just might kill me if he finds out." Silver suddenly felt sick.

Ginny scooted across the floor, closer to her. "He won't _kill _you, per say, livid he might very well be. But not enough to kill his sister."

"I hope he remembers that when he finds out." A fretful smile crossed her lips.

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**A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter (:  
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	6. Frightened Owls

**Frightened Owls**

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Silver, Hermione, and Ginny found it exceptionally hard to wake up the next morning. They weren't exactly sure at what time they had fallen asleep, but they were certain they had only received about two hours of sleep. Ron came bustling into the room, nearly tripping over Ginny as she was laying on the floor closest to the door.

"Ouch!" Ginny bellowed, causing Ron to squeal.

"Ginny? What are you doing in here?" he said breathlessly.

Silver stirred awake from the bickering, fighting her eyelids to open, "Ron?"

Ron moved across the room, clearly realizing Hermione as not alone as he had expected. "Er…Harry's downstairs, he came in late last night!" he said brightly, throwing a furtive glance at Hermione, still lying in bed revealing the top half of her nightgown. Her brown hair was messily thrown around her face, complimenting her innocent, it's too early to be brilliant expression.

As soon as she had noticed, she instantly brought up her sheets, hiding herself."Ron, don't you believe in knocking?" Hermione said, aghast.

Ginny snorted, "Ron, really, where are you manners? Out! Out you go!" She stood up, pushing her brother out of the room, uncaring of whether he saw her in her boxer shorts and tank top.

Ron rather loathed seeing the growing up his sister seemed to have been doing over the summer. "Ginny, put some clothes on!" Ron reprimanded her as the door closed right in front of his nose.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Brothers are so protective."

The girls rushed to get dressed, Ginny and Silver sprinting off to their room to get a clean outfit out of their drawers, well trunk in Silver's case. Once they were dressed, they met Hermione, who was incidentally crossing their room at the exact same time and they went downstairs, excitedly.

Ginny was the first down, rushing over to him and pulling Harry into a hug – the way she usually greeted her friends, "Harry!"

Harry's cheeks turned red, and the look of surprise on his face showed he was rater chuffed with her reaction. Hermione came next, hugging him as well as Ron muttered something under his breath about Harry always getting all the girls.

"Silver!" Harry beamed, pleased to see his sister after so long.

He squeezed her into a hug, "I'm so glad to see you."

Silver was a bit teary-eyed, suddenly overwhelmed with a sea of emotions. "Harry." She smiled happily.

She pulled away from him, quickly noticing how he had grown to be significantly taller than she was, "How are you? I'm so sorry I wasn't able to visit."

"Alright, I guess."

"Dumbledore said you've been quite upset.."

"I have been, but I'm better. It's not what Sirius would've wanted, he wouldn't have wanted to see me handling it so poorly. I resorted to locking myself away from everything. It was dreadful."

Silver frowned, pulling him into a hug once more. "Oh, It'll be alright Harry."

Mrs. Weasley looked on from where she stood behind Ron, sniffling. The moment had truly affected her, for once, Harry had found someone to call family. He was no longer alone, not that he ever was. but in his mind, he believed that not having a family, isolated him from the rest. When in fact, Harry was constantly surrounded by it. Harry was a son to her and her husband. And Sirius had also taken it upon himself to be a father to Harry, just as he would be if it weren't for….

Mrs. Weasley let a tear fall, but she hastily wiped it away with her apron.

"Well, hurry up now, breakfast's getting cold." Mrs. Weasley shouted, her voice a bit hoarse from crying.

They all took their seats around the table, conversing loudly, when Hermione gasped. "The O.W.L's, when are we getting our results?"

"Dunno.." Ron responded between mouthfuls.

"Actually, I think Dumbledore's said they should be coming in today.." Harry said, careful to avoid Hermione's expected uproar.

"Today?" Hermione pulled at the sides of her hair, "Today?" she repeated.

"You've worried me lately Hermione, _yes,_ today." Ron smirked.

"Oh my god!" She completely ignored his comment and anxiously started pointing at the window. Ron watched her, afraid, until he himself saw the set of four owls flying over.

Mrs. Weasley stood up from her chair and ran to the window, opening them so they would fly through without trouble. Each flew in right after the other, landing on the table, right in front of Ginny's plate. She made an unpleasant sort of sound, exposing her annoyance with the owl.

Hermione was the first to rush, startling the handsome, tawny owl. "No, no don't leave! Stop that!" she was able to grab the parchment from it before it flew out of the window in panic.

"Honestly Hermione, you've made the owl run away.." Ron said, abashed.

But once again she neglected his comment, finding herself too busy trying to steady her hands enough to unfold the envelope. Silver watched Harry as he took the parchment off of two owls, handing Silver the one labeled for her.

"Good luck." She said to him before they both set straight to breaking the seal.

Harry examined his paper several times, finally deciding he wasn't at all seeming disappointed, yet content.

"I've got an O in the Defense Against the Dark Arts, but I did ruddy terrible in Divinations and History of Magic."

"I failed those too, it's not like we actually need them anyways." Ron said from his place besides a hunched Hermione.

Silver smiled proudly, "Well done Harry. Here read mines."

Harry took the parchment form her hand and gaped. "You've got five O's! Silver, that's brilliant!

Hermione glanced at her form the corner of her eye, and pouted. Ron left her side and joined Harry and Silver. He smiled down at her and ruffled up her hair.

"Hermione look's like you've got competition. What'd you get the O's in?"

Harry answered, seeing as he's the one that was holding the paper, "Potions, Charms, the Dark Arts, Astronomy, _and_…..divinations…?" He raised a speculative brow.

"What? All you have to do is make things up. Really, it wasn't very hard." Silver insisted.

Harry and Ron laughed, amused.

"How'd you do Hermione?" Ron asked from across the room.

Hermione still stood, bent over, her parchment practically pasted on to her nose. "Ok, I suppose.."

Ron sniggered, "_Please_, I bet you've gotten straight O's." He walked over to her, stood behind her, and snatched it from her hands.

"Hey!" she said, turning around and finding herself awfully close to Ron's face.

Ron grinned and then went on to read her grades, "Just as I suspected, listen here Harry, nine outstandings and just one exceeds expectations."

"Come off it Hermione, nine O.W.L's! That's excellent." Harry said, making his way over to her as well.

Silver took a seat besides Ginny, shaking their heads as they watched Hermione pity herself for her exceedingly brilliant grades. It was cute, watching Ron's feeble attempts at trying to comfort Hermione. Although they didn't work. What Ron didn't realizing, was that Hermione didn't want to be comforted by humor, sure he could make her laugh, it was an amiable quality about him. Hermione wanted a hug, or something of the sort.

Ginny took the paper from my hands, "You did really good, I've assigned you as my tutor for my O.W.L's." She laughed, quite pleased with her decision.

"We'll see about _that_, Weasley." Said Silver.

"Excellent job my dears, Ron I'm very proud. You've managed to score more O.W.L's than Fred and George combined." She squealed with pure joy, squeezing Ron into a tight hug.

"Hermione, dear – stop wallowing over your grades, you _must_ be top of your year with those scores. And Harry, Silver – well done."

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**A/N: Yay seven reviews so far! I think that's the most I've gotten per chapter in this story (:  
Previews for all who review!**


	7. Beaus

**Beaus**

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By the time Harry's birthday came round, Silver was very pleased to see Remus. They had a small party, just the Weasley's, Lupin, and of course Fleur, whom after listening to Ginny and Hermione's rants began to notice the way Ron would go weak at the knees whenever she was in the room.

"So you're feeling better then?" Silver asked Remus, her voice dripping in concern.

He waved his hand out in front of him, "I'm fine, nothing to worry about."

"You've stocked up on wolfsbane potion?"

"Yes, yes." He laughed, "I thought I was supposed to be the parental figure, I'm afraid I was mistaken."

Silver grinned sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Oh I almost forgot, congratulations on your O.W.L's. You're quite clever, by the looks of it. Giving Hermione a run for her money." He said playfully.

Silver laughed, "Not even close, Hermione beat me by a few 'outstandings'."

Mrs. Weasley came in between them, handing them both a generous slice of birthday cake.

"Thank you Molly."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley."

He took a bite of his cake, taking longer than usual to chew. "And..have you heard from Draco Malfoy?"

"Not at all actually. Why?" she frowned.

"So he hasn't said anything to you? Anything about his father?"

"No."

Lupin pursed his lips, "I urge you take care when you're back at Hogwarts. There's a lot of malice in the wizarding world now. Don't ever let your guard down."

"This wouldn't be an indirect warning to avoid Draco would it?" asked Silver, suddenly worried. Not for herself, but for Draco's sake and what he could possibly be enduring now.

"No, not necessarily to avoid him, but to steer clear of his father – at all costs." He looked over at Mr. Weasley who seemed to be busy pretending she wasn't eavesdropping.

"Silver!" Ginny shouted from the kitchen as Mrs. Weasley reminded her to mind her manners.

She excused herself to Remus and darted off towards Ginny and the rest of the lot.

"Guess what?" Hermione greeted her as she entered the narrow kitchen.

"Ginny's found herself another boyfriend?" Silver drawled sarcastically.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, "Ha. Ha."

Ron entered from the back door, "I thought it was pretty funny."

"Ronald Weasley! What in Merlin's name were you doing outside? And _alone_ of all things!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked from behind the cake, setting her knife down to prevent herself from throwing it at him.

"Sorry mum, I was just getting a pair of trousers I left in the garden." Ron apologized, recoiling under her glare.

"Right well, you never guessed." Ginny huffed.

"I did, but apparently I was wrong. Now what is it?" Silver smiled broadly.

"We're going to Diagon alley tomorrow! Finally, we're allowed to set foot into the outside world!" Ginny beamed.

Harry looked at her, amused at her sense of child-like wonder.

"Ginny, don't talk about your home that way. You speak as if it were an infectious disease." Mrs. Weasly scolded, as she now proceeded to exit the room with a slice of cake in hand.

"We get to see Fred and George's joke shop." Ron said, happily.

"I'm so excited to see it." Harry added.

"So am I." Ginny caught his eye, quickly looking away, "And Ron needs new robes as well, I don't get any though."

Ron seemed pleased with himself at this small sort of accomplishment. Ginny noticed, "See that? Now he's all full of himself."

"Ah, zat's because Ron iz a growing boy, Ginny." Fleur suddenly entered the kitchen, dancing around the round table where Harry sat as if she were walking a runway.

"That's exactly right, thanks Fleur." Said Ron, sounding like he had just been struck by cupid's arrow.

"You are welcom!" She pranced over to him, pecking him on each cheek, and gracefully making her exit.

"Why do I feel so insignificant whenever she walks into a room?" Silver said bluntly.

Ginny and Hermione both made similar faces of agreement. "Because she's _Fleu_r, she's perfect. Everyone else just isn't up to par." Ginny threw her hands aloof, imitating Fleur's manner of walking.

Harry laughed freely, something he had discovered to be doing a lot of whenever Ginny was around. Ginny turned her attention on him, laughing with him. For a minute, his heart raced.

"I don't know Ginny, I reckon there's a certain pair of twins that would disagree with that ." Ron walked around Silver, nudging her in the arm.

"Oh come off it Ron, she's already got a boyfriend." Ginny spilled, almost instantly throwing her hands over her mouth, biting back the words.

Silver shot her a deathly glare, simultaneously trying to conjure some kind of an avoidance answer.

"Really? Who's the lucky bloke?" Ron asked and Harry straightened in his chair, peering over at her curiously.

"What Ginny means," Hermione interrupted, not sure what she was exactly going to say next,….is that – em Silver here…she's…"

"It means..that there's a boy that fancies me and …" Silver thought she might encourage Hermione with an idea.

"..And she told Ginny and I, and we've been bothering her about it ever since. Calling him her boyfriend, but really he isn't." Hermione felt out of breath after that bit.

"Well that doesn't take me as much of a surprise." Ron shrugged.

"Who is it?" Harry asked.

"Who is it?" Silver repeated stupidly, looking over at Hermione and Ginny.

"Blaise Zabini." Ginny squeaked quickly.

"Zabini?!" Silver raised her voice anxiously.

Hermione raised her eyebrows, "Zabini." She confirmed.

Harry looked affronted, "That's just as bad as Malfoy."

Silver threw him a warning glance, "Harry," she scolded, "I've already told you I don't like it when you talk about Malfo – I mean Draco that way."

"Fine. But you've got to admit it's pretty awful."

"He's my friend, you know that. So if you want to speak ill of him, you are more than able to do so, _after_ I leave the room." She swiftly turned on her heel and began to walk off, "like I said, feel free." And with that, she left.

Harry stared after her, wallowing in regret for making her upset. His chest weighted heavily with guilt.

"I forgot they were friends." He admitted to himself, and at the same time clearing the air for the lot.

"Don't fret mate, she'll forgive you. You know girls get sort of…emotional." Ron said, peeling a banana.

That seemed to be the last straw for Hermione as well, "For your information Ron," she hissed, "she has all the right in the world to get 'emotional' after you've insulted the boy she fancies." Hermione didn't mean to say it, but she was so ruddy upset with him that she sunk to darker depths to prove him wrong.

Ron dropped the banana he once held in his hands, "The boy she – WHAT?"

Harry almost fell off his chair, "This isn't funny Hermione, come off it."

"Malfoy is Silver's boyfriend, it's true." Hermione confirmed, obviously enjoying the looks of shock on their faces.

"Hermione!" yelped Ginny.

"That's a lie." Said Harry, his blood boiling.

Ginny looked positively paralyzed, she couldn't believe what Hermione had just admitted. She felt angry, angry that even after sworn secrecy, Hermione still blurted it out. Ginny instantly came to her absent friend's defense and tried to remedy the situation as best she could."Harry, listen, you can't tell her you know. She wanted to tell you herself…she was just waiting for the right time to do it.." Ginny placed her arm on his shoulder in an effort to console him, and it seemed to be working.

Her blue eyes bore into him, suddenly calming him, "I wont…it's just," he averted his eyes, "how long?"

"Since June." Hermione answered, causing three pairs of eyes to look up at her, one particular pair was seething.

Harry groaned, passing his fingers through his hair, "_Why_? Why Malfoy of all people?"

He was uneasy of these new feelings he had recently acquired, they were almost paternal. He felt as if he was responsible for Silver, and who she dated, who she was friends with, her grades, and the like. He was certain he hadn't brought it upon himself. They seemed to have always been rooted inside of him, in sort of an undercover fashion, waiting until she reappeared in his life for them to resurface. And quite frankly, he wasn't very fond of these overbearing emotions.

Harry racked his brains for the answer. He supposed he should've foreseen it. Malfoy was popular with the girls, and already seeing the interest he had shown for Silver should've been a red flag. He sat alone in the kitchen counter, after he had asked everyone else for some time to think. After allowing himself that allotted time, he dragged his feet up the stairs. They felt heavier than before. His room was on the second floor, or rather Fred and George's room was, but instead he continued climbing. He was hoping not to wake anyone, but the frequent creaking of the wooden planks beneath him gave him quite a worry. As he walked he could hear hushed voices coming from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's bedroom, they seemed to be arguing about something. He frowned, it was probably something about Voldermort and his impending reign. He was, after all, handpicked with the name of 'The chosen one', meaning he would be the only one able to stop him.

He pushed the thoughts aside for a moment as he landed in front of a bedroom door. He stared at it hesitantly, lifting his arm various times, and then letting it fall. He was just about to knock on Silver's door when he rememberd that she shared the bedroom with Ginny. He sighed. He couldn't talk to Silver about Malfoy with Ginny there, after all she's the one that asked him not to tell that he knew of anything. Ron would be awake, he thought. So he decided to walk forward a few steps and slowly open his door.

"Ron?"

The redhead looked up from rummaging through his drawers in surprise.

"Harry, I thought you'd already be sleeping."

"I can't sleep, not with.." Harry made an anxious gesture with his hands and groaned in frustration.

"It's appalling innit?" Ron said, wrinkling his nose, "Not Silver, I mean, of course not her. I meant Malfoy."

Harry nodded, finding himself at a loss for words.

"Don't worry about it mate, you know what we've got to do then right? Break them up and get shot of him is all."

"And how are we going to do that?"

Ron shrugged, "Set her up with someone else, someone with real potential. Someone like me, perhaps?"

Harry raised a brow at him.

"Only kidding, relax." Ron laughed, "Although I wouldn't mind –"

"Ron!"

"Right, well. I dunno, how about Fred or George?"

"No offense Ron, but I don't think she'd go for them."

Ron opened his mouth as if he were about to argue, but then closed it, "Your right. But I don't see why we shouldn't try. We're going to see them tomorrow at their joke shop anyways, what've we got to lose?"

Harry churned it over, warming up to the idea. The twins were…a bit rambunctious, yes. But he'd prefer that over Malfoy any day.

"What about that Goldstein bloke, the Ravenclaw prefect? Didn't he fancy her for a bit?" Harry asked, uncomfortably.

Ron laughed, "Oi he did, he was talking about it during one of the prefect meetings." He shook his head dismissively, "Wanker."

The next day, everyone awoke to the sound of plates clattering, footsteps moving about, and the shouts of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny and Silver were just about done getting dressed when Hermione and Harry's hushed voices were heard outside as they passed the corridors. Silver noticed it, but thought it passive; they could probably be talking about anything. Once they reached downstairs, everyone was already at the table. Mrs. Weasley was worriedly explaining the day's schedule, while Fleur seemed to be interrupting with bits of knowledge she thought would be appropriate, but were met by sighs and hand gestures on the part of Mrs. Weasley. Ron and Harry both looked up at Silver when she took a seat besides Ron. Ron happily greeted her, but she noticed when he shot a quick glance at Harry before continuing his conversation with her.

Once breakfast was over and Mrs. Weasley felt the lot was completely satiated after three helpings, everyone was instructed to get their book list's and meet outside. Silver and Hermione ran upstairs to grab their lists and money, Remus had given her a bit, but she felt unsure whether it was enough for all of her books.

They had arrived to Diagon Alley, escorted by ministry aurors whom were especially concerned with Harry's safety.

"Alright, let's all stick together and- " Mrs. Weasley began to say hastily.

"Molly," interrupted, "I think it might be best if we split into two to speed up the process."

"We can't, that is out of the question Arthur."

"Tonks!" shouted Harry as her figure drew closer.

"Hello all, shopping?" she asked, nonchalantly.

"Yes, but it's just so nervewrecking, _anything_ can happen and-" said Mrs. Weasley.

"I'll take them, if you need any help." Tonks offered.

Mrs. Weasley seemed doubtful, she much preferred to have them all under her very own nose. But she decided that if anyone were to take better care of them if a situation were to rise, it would be an auror.

"Alright," She was working on a game plan, "Ron you need new dress robes, your showing far too much ankle, not very sightly." To this, Ron snorted a bit, "And Harry you've grown as well, you could use some new robes as well."

"I need new ones too." Said Hermione.

"Alright dear, and so you will get new ones." She said looking at each face cautiously.

"Molly and I will get all of your school books at Flourish and Botts.." interjected Mr. Weasley as he examined every passerby suspiciously.

"Silver, you need new robes too don't you?" Hermione asked.

"I do, mines are a bit….battered." said Silver, referring to her leisurely stay within the caves tucked beneath the Ministry not too long ago. She didn't even have robes to wear for her last exam, they were ripped and torn – stained to the degree where nothing would remove them.

Mrs. Weasley shot her a look of concern."Fine, take Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Silver." She said, groping Ginny by the collar of her shirt, "We'll meet you all at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in an hour, sharp!"

Diagon Alley was a mere shadow of what it used to be. It was a striking difference from when she had visited it for the first time with Harry. The crowds were weary, no one made eye contact. People were huddled together as if they were seeking extra protection amongst the other and running about from store to store. Tonks greeted a few other presumable aurors as she walked by.

They'd finally reached the corner for Madam Malkin's shop, when Tonks told them she'd wait outside for them. Once the others had gone in, Silver stayed behind with her.

"How's Remus doing?" Silver asked her, knowing she must've seen him since then.

"He's almost good as new. He's the one that forewarned me that you and your brother would be here today. Of course, I had to come see the pair of you. And Remus was a bit weary of letting you wander out and about without protection." She smiled, lightly.

She sighed, "Thank you Tonks."

Tonks nodded, "Your godfather's a good man Silver, he has your best interests at heart. And he really misses you. He's gotten quite used to having you around the house. Say's it feels empty without you."

Silver grinned, a warm sensation building in her chest, "Tell him I miss him too."

"I will, but you better get in there before the lot of them are through." She smiled.

Silver walked up the steps and stopped outside the door, listening to the voices coming from inside. Her heart jumped and she turned the knob, slowly letting the door open.

"Who blacked your eye Granger? I want to send them flowers in congratulations." Draco said menacingly, referring to an incident she must've had this morning when she was in Harry's room. Silver hadn't even noticed her black eye.

Harry had his wand pointed straight at Malfoy, ready to attack.

"What's going on?" Silver's voice drowned the sound of the shop owner's wails to stop the fighting, and for a moment all eyes fell on her.

Draco instantly recoiled, scolding himself for not assuming that wherever Potter was – she'd probably be close behind. Madam Malkin smiled in anticipation, hoping that this girl was her salvation in disguise. She would not have her shop become filth from a bad reputation.

Draco only looked at her, trying to decide between the happiness he felt at the sight of her or from the repulsive guilt of having her catch him insulting the mudblood. He was battling with himself. He would keep his eyes hard, but they would fall, and so his face was a bit twisted.

Silver looked back and forth between them, keeping her eyes set on Draco. He faltered under her gaze.

"It'd be nice if someone would answer me." She insisted.

Hermione was torn, for once in her life completely unsure of what to say. Instinctively, she wanted to answer with the truth straight away, just as if a professor were asking her a question in class. But then, she knew the distress it would bring upon Silver if she knew the truth. But it was so terribly difficult to remain silent.

Just then, a statuesque blonde woman emerged from behind a set of draped curtains, by where Madam Malkin stood, confusion etched in her face. Narcissa was about to open her mouth to see why a silence had suddenly overcome the room when she set her sights on Potter, holding his wand menacingly at her son.

"Put you wand away, _Potter._" She hissed, "If you had the intentions of using that on my son, I suggest you think twice about it."

Narcissa jerked her head back at Draco and followed his line of sight.

"Silver." She said, shocked. Her face fell in concern, for a moment she wondered what she would say. If she would out them on the spot. But she couldn't possibly, the memory charm should be working.

"Hello, Narcissa." Silver smiled faintly, she walked a few steps towards them."Draco.."

Harry made a growling noise from behind them, but someone seemed to have stopped him.

"You need new robes?" Draco said after a moment of bare silence.

She tilted her head, "That _would_ be why I'm here, wouldn't it?"

He smirked, almost forgetting Potter and his friends were there.

"Those fit you nice." She said, giving the black fabric tapering his chest a quick tug.

Narcissa felt a wave of grief wash over her. She had never felt so guilty. Her eyes never left Silver as she interchanged a few words with her son. Silver soon noticed her. "Nice to see you dear." Narcissa said quickly, hiding any emotion in her voice.

And then, almost like she had been punched in the brain Silver's mind meandered back in time, bringing forth a frothy and unclear memory. For an instant, a dark image revealed two cloaked figures. She had been following Narcissa..and another, that night Dumbledore found her. And then her mind was empty. She tried to process this, unable to tell whether this was a mere figment of her imagination or something that had truly occurred. Although, it couldn't possibly have already happened, she had no recollection of it.

Silver must've made a weird gesture, because Narcissa suddenly seemed nervous.

"Alright, those are perfect Draco. Let's go we have a lot to do." She pulled on her son's arm, dragging him back off towards the curtains.

Madam Malkin rushed after them, closing the drapes and re-directing her attention to the lot. "Alright Potter, Gryffindor for the lot of you, right?"

"No ma'am, I need Ravenclaw." Silver said.

"Right, perfect. Let's get straight off to it then."

She fetched them a few robes and sent them each off to different areas. Silver and Draco crossed ways as Narcissa took her wallet out to pay the woman.

"Silver." He grabbed her arm.

"Is it always going to be this way?" Silver asked sadly, "Do we have to pretend like we hardly know each other in public?"

He frowned, "I don't want it to be.."

"You never even wrote to me."

"I couldn't, I told you I would if I could."

"And why couldn't you?" she snapped.

He averted his gaze, signaling he hadn't the slightest intention of answering.

"It's a secret then? More secrets? Brilliant." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

He let his head fall, "I don't want to argue. We've done more than enough of that." His voice concerned her. it was tired, and a closer look at his face showed the same. His face was thinner, sallow, and small pools of grayish undertones gathered under his eyes from lack of sleep.

She felt a lump in her throat. "What's wrong?"

"Draco," Narcissa said anxiously, "Silver, I'm sorry dear, but I must steal him away."

"Of course." Silver mumbled, allowing Draco to take a hold of her hand quickly. His fingers slipped through hers, and before the moment had begun, it was over.

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**A/N: I hope you all had a lovely weekend (:  
Enjoy the last bit of it as much as you can.  
Thank you for reviewing and alerting and favoriting, etc.  
Please keep them coming, that is, if you want a preview (;  
bwahaha!**

**TwilightLuva8v: No, you haven't missed anything! That was done on purpose, but I'm not so cruel as to leave it all to your imagination! Lol Notice how a piece of the puzzle is revealed here through a random memory Silver had. It will all be revealed in due time, as the story progresses. (:**


	8. Misdirected Cupid's Arrow

**Misdirected Cupid's Arrow**

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Silver couldn't care less for robes. Her mind was working overtime, trying to find a connection between two very different, yet wearily significant events: why she was so suddenly overwhelmed with the possibility of having, unknowingly, stalked Narcissa and if it had anything to do with Draco's sudden secrecy. Upon leaving Madam Malkin's, Hermione pushed her aside, with all the intentions of speaking to her when Silver anxiously interrogated her first.

"Hermione, what was he saying, before I got there?"

She stiffened, "What do you think he was saying? It's Malfoy. He lives off of inflicting misery on others. In some sickening way he finds it fulfilling." She said sharply.

Silver frowned, and for once decided she wouldn't defend him. Admittedly, she herself wasn't exactly sure about him anymore. He had acting so strangely. Uknowingst to her, their time spent together could've just been another one of his facades. She hated to think the worst, but he offered no explanation for her to think any better of him. Hermione only looked at her, her expression hinting she was rueful for her brutal honesty. She exhaled loudly and marched off towards the boys, her bushy brown hair bouncing behind her.

"She's as blunt as an axe that Granger girl." Tonk's had managed to catch up to the group, seeing as no one had bothered to inform her that they had succeeded in acquiring their robes. Silver shook her head, pulling herself back to reality and faintly smiled at her, more out of politeness than anything else. For once Tonks seemed to be clear of her own brooding thoughts as she walked in step beside her, comfortable with the silence.

"Look at it! just there!" Ron pointed excitedly at a colorful building with the words Weasley's Wizards Wheezes just above it. It was the busiest place in Diagon Alley, which was looking particularly dull and gloomy. There were hoards of people shuffling into the shop, and more awaited inside. They met with Ginny outside who instantly paired with Silver to enter. There were lots of kids from school. Ginny waved excitedly at a few Gryffindors from her year, introducing Silver. Silver doing the same when she ran into Lucinda Lyons, whom was now a proud second year at Hogwarts and greeted her with the same great enthusiasm she always had. Her oversized bow was a bright pink, enhancing her magenta dress – she seemed to be an excellent addition to the eclectic collection at the shoppe.

Once they were sure they had seen just about everyone, Silver told Ginny about what happened at Madam Malkins. Ginny's eyes narrowed, more so when she mentioned the bit about Hermione, and was on the precipice of voicing her anticipated thoughts when two pairs of arms landed on each of their shoulders. Silver looked up and just a peek at the signature ginger hair of the Weasley's was enough of a hint to tell her who it was. Ginny yelped in a pained expression. Hermione, who had now been left behind by the boys and was walking ahead of Silver and Ginny, alone, immediately turned around.

"Hello there Granger." Fred winked and Hermione responded with a scowling, yet playful, smirk.

"Sister dear, we've missed you so."Said George, rubbing off a grayish powder that had fallen on Ginny's sweater.

"But we've especially missed you, Crouch." Fred smirked, pulling her hands up to his lips and kissing it. Silver laughed, finding everything the twins did to be quite amusing, before she jerked her hand away.

"Or is it Potter now?" George glowered down at Fred, pushing him out of the way.

"Whatever it might be, let's avoid any misunderstandings by simply calling her Harry." Fred suggested, a smirk playing on his lips. They were both dressed in identical, bright suits.

Silver glared, "Oi! I am not a boy."

"And thank Merlin for that eh?" Said Fred, nudging his brother in the ribs.

"How are you liking the shop?" George prompted, slowly forgetting Ginny's presence.

"I think it's brilliant, I see its quite popular isn't it?" Silver smiled.

"Very." George said, leaning in closer, "And if you ever want a private tour.."

"George!" Ginny said, hoping to put an end to this unsettling scenario.

He laughed before speaking again. "Ginny, don't you have someone you need to see?"

Ginny shook her head, "Very funny."

Fred, seeming to be siding with Ginny on ending this exchange, for the just reason that he hadn't thought of the idea of a private tour first, interrupted, "Have you girls seen our _special_ area?"

"Although I see Ginny's already got her beady eyes on it. Off limits to little sisters, sorry." Fred interrupted.

"Oh, shut it." Ginny rolled her eyes.

They followed the twins back to the pinkest area of the shop. Pink fumes emitted from cauldrons, and small little pink bottles were laid out across the shelves. Although you could barely see them due to the gaggle of girls around them.

"What's that?" Ginny asked.

"That," Fred said, once again snaking his arm around Silver and Ginny's shoulders, "is a love potion. Do they work you ask? You have our hundred percent guarantee that they do."

"Although, from what we've heard, you don't seem to need any love potions." he said, raising a brow at his sister.

"What you need is an anti-love potion.." George muttered from beside her.

"How would you know?" Ginny barked.

"Don't you think your running by boyfriends a bit too quickly?' Fred spoke again.

"Ron's told you hasn't he?" she said begrudgingly.

And almost by coincidence Ron and Harry emerged from the gaggle, both smiling.

"See that? Fred's got an arm around her." Harry said to Run, enthused, just before he joined everyone.

Ron grinned but was met with a ferocious glare from his little sister."I'd prefer if you didn't go off gossiping about my love life to Fred and George, thank you."

"You two can't keep your mouths shut can you?" Ron glared.

Silver laughed loudly causing a curious glare from the twins. "And what are you laughing at?" Fred said playfully.

"Oh, I wasn't laughing." Silver responded coyly, which was met with a speculative stare. "It's just funny is all."

"What, exactly?"

"It's nice to see you all cower under Ginny's wrath." She smirked.

Ginny was about to go off on Ron again, when she too began laughing. Although, the twins and Ron didn't find it very amusing.

"We don't _cower._" Fred responded, seeming unsure of himself.

At some point during the conversation, Harry, Ron, and Hermione strayed away – but no one had seemed to notice, being as Silver found herself enticed with George's tales of Ginny and her ex-boyfriend, Michael Corner, and Ginny was too occupied with interrupting him whenever she had a chance.

As time came to pass, Silver noticed their absence. "I'll be right back." She said to them, deciding to leave Ginny out of it.

She walked a few rounds around the place and misguidedly bumped into someone, square in the chest. "Sorry." She muttered, her cheeks red from embarrassment.

"It's alright, no harm done……Silver?"

She looked up to meet Anthony Goldstein's bright blue eyes as he worked on straightening out his collared button down shirt.

Her pupils grew large."Oh, Anthony, it's so nice to see you." She said, unenthusiastically.

"It's _really_ great to see you. I see your..," he made a swishing motion in his forehead, gesturing towards her bangs growing out, "it looks nice."

"Thanks, they're sort of at an awkward stage now." She laughed a bit. When his face twisted into one of lack of comprehension she added, "You know, they're neither short, nor long – just in hair limbo."

He blinked, twice. "Oh! Yeah, that's funny – so listen, how would you like to get together a bit later?" not wasting a single moment, straight to the point.

"Sorry, but..I'm with Harry and we're leaving in about a half hour. I can't really wander off alone." She said, dumbly.

"Right, well then, perhaps when we get back to school we can catch up?" he asked, hopeful.

"Sure of course. We'll _all_ get together, I'm sure there's lots to catch up on." She smiled, giving him a quick pat on the arm and getting on her way.

Walking further, she found herself bumping into someone else. "Where'd you run off to? We were worried, we can't find Ron and the others." Ginny said anxiously as she made her way through a gaggle of younger girls.

"I was looking for them too." Silver said succinctly.

"Tonks has already gone out to search." She stomped her foot angrily, "They _always_ do this you know. They always have to go off and do something secretive, crack some sort of mystery or whatnot."

"I've noticed." Silver said, laughing yet without a trace of humor.

"Best we can do is wait I suppose."

"I ran into Anthony Goldstein." Silver whispered.

Ginny's eyes widened, "And?"

"I think he asked me out.." Silver frowned.

"I'll take him if you don't want him." Ginny said, sticking her head above the crowd as if she were searching for him. Silver huffed as she met the flirtatious stare of a Ravenclaw boy in her year. "Now that I've got a boyfriend, every boy I know seems to develop a sudden interest in me."

Ginny shrugged, "Oh I know, it's so tempting isn't it? Of course, I'd never cheat on Dean."

Silver envied Ginny's relationship and the way she could talk about it so freely. From the events so far, Draco was right. They'll never be as airy as a normal couple, everything they'd do would have to be between the two of them – away from the world.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron eventually did return. But there was something in Harry's demeanor, as if he were on the verge of solving some sort of mystery. There was a dangerous edge to his face, whereas Hermione and Ron simply looked a bit uneasy, constantly shooting looks of worry at each other. Silver wondered if he would mention anything to her, or if Hermione would demonstrate the same trust in her that she had bestowed upon her when she told her about Draco. But as the next few weeks passed, she heard nothing from either of them.

It was the night before the Hogwart's express was set to leave and Silver was now just as equally annoyed with Fleur as Ginny seemed to be. Harry and Silver spent quite some time together, talking about Remus and her life there, and in exchange he spoke about the Dursleys. He didn't mention much about Sirius when she asked, he didn't seem quite ready to talk about his feelings yet. He reminded her of Draco in that way, they were both equally as hard to crack. But she somewhat felt a bit miffed at the idea of Harry keeping secrets from her, it made her feel as if he didn't trust her enough to tell her. She knew Hermione and Ron were the closest things he had to a brother and sister, so naturally he would tell them first. But it wouldn't hurt to trust her as well.

Ginny and Silver spent the better part of the night packing up their things and gossiping. Fred had been writing to Silver, which gave Ginny quite a laugh.

"Laugh all you want Ginny, but watch, wait until _my_ brother starts writing you love notes…" she stopped herself mid-sentence, a conniving smile gracing her features, "but you _would_ like that wouldn't you?"

Ginny dropped a shirt she was holding, "I'm quite shot of it Silver. He doesn't like me, it's due time."

Silver sighed, plopping down on the lower bunk of Ginny's bed. Her room was quite small, yet cozy. The walls were painted in a deep shade of burnt orange, and her furnishings were a dark oaken brown. Some of her furniture didn't seem very feminine, which Silver reckoned to be hand me downs from her brothers. She inhaled deeply, taking in the aroma of her room, a blend between a flower and wood. Just then, there was a rapping at the window and Silver shrieked.

"It's only an owl, calm down." Ginny laughed traipsing over to the window to let it in, "Oh, this one seems to be a regular over here." She unwrapped the parchment from its skinny leg, "Fred awaits!" she said in a singsong voice, watching Silver shift uncomfortably. She handed her the letter, and went back to her closet, rummaging through it for the rest of her things.

"Oh, you were mistaken Ginny." She watched as Ginny's head surfaced, "It's not from Fred." Silver smirked.

Ginny swooshed around, knocking down a few pieces of clothing with her. She ran across the room and jumped to sit beside her, "Who's it from then?" she asked with utter curiosity in her voice.

"It's from George." Silver stifled a roaring laughter rooted in her stomach.

Ginny, who was nearly standing, slumped down to sit. "Lovely, they're fighting over you."

The next day dawned a bit gloomier than usual. The clouds were heavily weighed down with anticipating rain, and there were but a few stray rays of sun trying to fight their way through the menacing clouds. Silver was excited to see her friends again, and so after bidding the Weasley's a gracious thank you before her goodbyes, she boarded the train with Ginny. Harry had stayed behind talking to Mr. Weasley and Hermione and Ron had gone off to the prefect's carriage.

Ginny and she pushed their way through the corridors, trying to squeeze between any open spaces when Ginny ran off excitedly. Silver followed her, a bit caught off guard, and saw her fall into the arms of a tall boy. _That must be Dean_, she thought to herself, smiling. She was about to continue off past them when she heard Ginny calling her name.

"Silver," she said, a broad grin cheerily plastered on her face, "I want you to meet Dean Thomas. Dean this is Silver."

Dean greeted her politely, and then looked as though he had suddenly remembered something. "You're Harry's sister aren't you?"

Silver smiled, "Yeah that's me, it's really nice to finally meet you."

Dean smiled warmly, "You too, where is the lad anyways?"

Silver shrugged, leaving Ginny to answer the question, "I'll see you later Ginny."

Ginny waved her off, a lopsided smile still on her face and she continued to press on through the heavy throng of students. Her eyes wandered off into each compartment she passed, searching for any sign of her friends. Cho looked outside at the same time Silver looked in and smiled faintly, quickly returning back to her conversation with Marietta, another Ravenclaw of her year.

She continued forwards, until she suddenly felt an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she ruefully looked onto the next compartment. Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode were there, both sending her glares that were strong enough to kill her on the spot. Pansy looked angrier than ever, and a lot more dog faced than last year as well. Silver hastily broke their contact and wandered off a bit further when she finally found Blake and Dominic in a compartment.

As soon as the door slid open, she was pummeled by the pair, who were both so happy to see her, they nearly killed her in the process – something Parkinson would probably be very pleased to hear about.

"My mum and I passed by Lupin's on the way to my cousin's flat, and we decided to stop by – but he said you weren't there." Blake frowned.

She finally managed to catch her breath enough to answer, "I wasn't with Lupin for the last half of the summer, it's a bizarre story, but I had to go live with Ron and Ginny Weasley and their family."

"The Gryffindors?" Dominic wrinkled his nose in thought.

"Yes, the very same." She said, pinching his shriveled up nose before she proceeded on to tell them the tale.

"So Dumbledore found you at Spinners end? And you don't know how you got there?" Dominic asked dubiously, a bit concerned she might be losing her memory at such a young age.

"And then I had to spend the rest of the summer with their lot." She ignored him, "It was fun, I got to spend some time with Harry." Silver shrugged, hastily keeping watch for the trolley woman – at least that's what she convinced herself she was doing. The train had been running for about an hour and a half and she had yet to see Draco. She had a pulling sensation in her chest, as she turned over the idea that he might not even be looking out for her.

"Sounds like a good time. Ron's a riot, at least I thought he was when we had him in class last year." Blake reminisced.

Dominic eyed her suspiciously, "How's Alec then?"

She growled, instantly causing Silver to grab a hold of Dominic's elbow.

"He's a bad loser, old news." She said, her voice savoring strongly of bitterness.

"What happened?" Silver asked, worried.

Blake inhaled deeply before speaking, almost sucking in a strand of her auburn hair, "About a week ago, he told me he had a lot on his mind, and that having a girlfriend just weren't in the cards for him anymore." She exhaled just as deeply.

"Do you want me to hit him? I can take him." Dominic offered.

Blake laughed shortly, "it's fine, really. I just…It's better this way, really." She pleaded with herself more than with her friends.

"You know what this means then Blake? We'll just have to go on a man hunt is all." Silver said, devilishly.

Dominic grimaced, "I don't like the sound of that….and I _certainl_y don't like that look on your face Silver."

Blake chuckled, "Easy for you to say, you've already got a boyfriend. And although he may be evil and scary at times, he's one of the most handsome bachelor's this school's got to offer."

Her comment made Silver feel a tad disconcerted. "I, actually, I think I might have to join you." She rued.

"What?" Blake instantly stepped out of her sullen state.

"I don't know what's going on with him." she exhaled, "one minute we're fine, the next he's telling me that _us, together_ is a terrible idea." She threw her hands up to her face, covering her eyes.

"Er-" Dominic grunted beside her, not exactly being the reaction she was hoping from him, and said,"I think, now's your chance to settle anything."

Silver drew her hands away, "What are you talking –" her voice cut off when she looked up and out the glass windows of the compartment to see Draco's lean figure, leaning elegantly against the part of the glass closest to her.

"Dom, let's get some chocolate frogs, I've got quite a craving.." Blake trailed off as she grabbed Dominic's hand and slid the door open, stealing a quick glance at Draco before she left.

He invited himself in, shutting the door closed behind him and sat down across from her. His pale grey eyes were cold and unfriendly, sending chills up her spine. He was dressed in black from the tip of his collar to the heel of his polished shoes, making his pale skin look even, well, paler. Silver crossed her legs, placing her hands on her knees and looked at him inquisitively while she observed the changes in him. He looked worn, and tired like if had been forced to do a lot of growing up this summer. Because that's exactly what his manner of dressing boasted for him. Despite that, he was still as handsome as ever. His perfectly chiseled cheekbones, down to his pointed chin was evidence enough. His shoulders seemed broader than before as well, but she was unaware if he had undergone any physical activity that could have provoked this.

"Hey." He said softly.

"Hi." Her voice sounded harsher than she meant.

He didn't insist upon conversation any further. He looked even more drained than the last time she had seen him, worrying her stiff.

"You alright?" she asked, closely examining his every movement.

His long fingers ran through his hair, which was not gelled as usual – it was a bit more natural. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She bit her tongue before speaking again, trying to maneuver a way for him to say something without getting upset. "Just wondering, considering I haven't seen you in quite some time."He averted his eyes from his clasped hands to face her and she took this as an acceptance to speak more, "I've missed you, you know."

Her hair was longer, prettier. She had gotten a bit of sun too, illuminating her face. There was a little dip in the lower sections of her cheek, indicating that there were dimples there, and he wished he could make her smile or laugh, just to see them. He let himself admire her before he took her hands in his, leaning forward in his chair to advance closer towards her, "So much has been happening.." he whispered tentatively, seeking comfort in the green depths of her eyes, the very warmth they exuded were enough to make him forget for just a moment.

She decided against pressing the matter any longer and, although, in spite of herself, changed the subject entirely. "How'd you do on your O.W.L's?" she asked in a small voice, keeping his hands firmly intertwined with hers.

"I got four," he said vaguely, not seeming very interested in them, "Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, and Airthmancy."

Silver smiled, although she was unsure why. Having three classes with Draco might be more troublesome than she imagined. "I got the same first three as you, and Transfigurations and Divinations."

"Divinations?" he wrinkled his handsome features.

Silver shrugged, "I don't know why you all think it's so hard, it's just imaginative rubbish is all!" He chuckled very minutely at this.

Silver feigned surprise, "Did Draco Malfoy just _laugh_ of all things? Oh dear the world must be ending." She beamed at him, who in turn found Draco to be slightly warming up to her.

"You're an annoying little bugger you know that right?" he smirked.

"You're awfully rude. Did you know _that?_"

He was such at ease with Silver, that he didn't realize how much time had really past since he had left his carriage. He knew he had to leave, before Zabini and the others went off looking for him. But his legs just couldn't find the strength. It was both an honor and a burden, the assignment he had been given. Or so, it would've been just an honor if things were different. If he hadn't let Silver mess with his diligently prejudiced head, which took his father years to get just right, this would be an honor of the greatest. But as much as he hated himself for admitting it, this wasn't what he _wanted_ anymore. The more he thought of Silver, the less he found his father's world as appealing as it used to be.

He smirked, lifting her hand up towards his lips and placing upon them a soft, gentle kiss. He let his mouth linger on her knuckles, inhaling her soothing scent of a sweet blend of raspberries and orchids. He smiled to himself, remembering the day he had foolishly told her how much he admired her scent as she wondered how he would feel if he knew Fred Weasley had done just the same not too long ago.

"You're not leaving are you?" She asked although she knew the answer.

"I think I should, your friends might be a bit tired from standing outside." He gestured out the windows which indeed revealed Dominic and Blake with their backs pressed against the window.

"You could stay with us you know. They don't mind." She pleaded.

He kissed her hand again, "This is for your own benefit, sparing you a detention really."

"And why is that?"

" Because I'm trying to avoid the hexing you'll give Zabini the moment he finds me."

She scowled, "Why would you be avoiding something so…pleasant?"

He smirked, admiring her nerve. "I'll see you at the feast, and then I'll try to think of something, so I can find you afterwards."

"Good idea, looks like you can finally put that scheming Slytherin head of yours to good use."

He raised a speculative brow at her, "Are you undermining my intelligence?"

"Never." She gasped.

"It's always reassuring to know a girlfriend believes in you as feverishly as you do."

She laughed, placing a hand on his cheek. "That's what I'm here for."

Once Draco had gotten up to leave, avoiding eye contact at all costs with the pair standing outside, Blake and Dominic took their seats. Dominic was beginning to make Silver very uncomfortable with his inquiring stares, as Blake kicked his leg to make him stop.

"It's all settled then?" he said, as he tried very urgently to stifle his pain.

"For now at least." She reassured him, noticing him firmly gripping his calf, "Where's Luna?"

Blake let a smile linger, "She's with…..," pausing for dramatic effect, "Neville." She whispered the last part as if she were delivering very delicate information.

Silver clapped her hands over her mouth, looking positively agog, "She is?"She said peering over at Blake for a nod of reassurement, which she indeed received.

"We ran into her in our search for candy. She's claims to be gauging his character, see if he truly fancies her for what she is." Blake said shrewdly.

"Although with Luna..you can never be too sure about _her_ character. She's quite..unexpected." Dominic said, receiving glares from both girls. And in his defense added, "It's true."

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all enjoy it, and that it provides a distraction from the hectic week ahead as it did for me (:  
So what do you all think of Draco so far? Am I doing a good job depicting his feelings the way they should be at this point in the book?  
I thought the little scene between them was pretty cute.  
But of course I wrote it so, I'm a bit biased :x**

**reviews earn a sneak peek into the next chapter, so please keep them coming (:**


	9. Bloody Nose

**Bloody Nose**

The belching steams of the train were louder than ever as Ginny kept trying to sleep, finding herself opening and shutting her eyes more often than she'd like. And as if that weren't enough, an intruder soon began to knock outside of the carriage she shared with Dean. One of her blue eyes annoyingly flew open, catching sight of the perpetrator. When she saw the wide, round eyes of Luna Lovegood staring back at her, she instantaneously flew up from her spot on Dean's chest to let her in.

She grinned broadly, "Hey Luna, how are you?"

Luna, who seemed to have her thoughts elsewhere, smiled at her, as if she hadn't noticed her before. "Hi Ginny – Dean. I have a message for you from Professor Slughorn. Here." She said handing her a folded piece of parchment, and then continuing on her way, skipping down the corridors. She ventured off from her own compartment after she was left abandoned; Harry had left after receiving a similar note from Slughorn, and Neville had gone off to search for his toad; which Luna didn't like very much, she was never very fond of slimy creatures. She soon caught a glimpse of Silver's dark hair, along with Dominic's shaggy brown mop whom had their heads together with another sitting across from them.

She pranced over quickly.

"I was just asking for you!" Silver said brightly.

"As was I, I'd asked Harry where you were, but he couldn't answer." Luna frowned.

"Oh were you with him?"

"Yes, I was with him, and Neville as well."

"And where are they now?" Silver inquired as Luna took a seat next to Blake.

"Harry received some sort of invitation from a new professor named Slughorn. Neville lost his toad." She stared at them.

Blake cringed, "I hate that thing."

Luna agreed, "I would've helped him, but admittedly, I'm not very fond of toads."

Dominic wondered why he was surrounded by so much femininity, and felt as if he should pound his chest repeatedly in a rather barbaric way to re-attain some of his masculinity. And almost as if it were an answer to his prayers, entered Terry Boot followed by Savannah Marietti, and then Anthony Goldstein. Savannah squeezed besides Silver, who in turn felt was a bit too restrained to move her arms.

"Weren't hiding from us were you?" asked Terry in an accusatory tone as he impossibly squeezed himself beside Savannah.

Luna didn't seem to understand his playful undertone and proceeded to shake her head, alarmingly. "Why would you think such a thing?"

"He was only joking." Savannah came to her boyfriend's defense.

Fortunately, the trip to Hogwart's wasn't very long now. From the distance, Terry pointed out to seeing the very tips of Hogwarts. Silver was talking to Luna about her classes and pleasantly discovered she had also passed her Divinations O.W.L. After everyones similar reaction to the news, she was beginning to think she would be the only student in that particular subject.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the prefect's carriage?" Blake began, diverting the conversation to his absence to his rightful duties when Silver noticed Zabini walk past. She glared, at nothing really because he hadn't seen her, but nevertheless thought it wouldn't be right if she hadn't done so; but what surprised her more was to see Harry also passing through, with that same face she had seen on him at Fred and George's shop. A dangerous curiosity burned in his eyes, and she felt compelled to stop him from whatever he was doing, if it weren't for the fact that she found herself immobilized, sandwiched between Dominic and Savannah, who's long hair kept whacking her in the face as she turned her head from side to side, she would've slipped out to find him.

Luna had noticed too, but disregarded it as nothing important. She caught Silver's eye and shrugged in an effort of communicating to not worry about it. Within a moment's time she found herself distracted by the ongoing battle of wits between Anthony and Terry, who claimed Anthony to be a prefect missing in action.

"My duties are done, alright? Would you just piss off?" Anthony snapped, much to the amusement of everyone in the carriage.

The train began to lose momentum, signaling to everyone that it was due time to change into their robes. Anthony, Terry, and Savannah hastily left to fetch theirs, leaving the four of them to some peace. As they were about to exit, a few eager first years ran down the corridors, bumping into everyone on their way.

"We can wait 'til they pass." Blake suggested.

Once the torrent was over, the group exited, but Silver still had a bad feeling about Harry. She hadn't seen him walk by again, meaning he'd never left from where he went. And knowing that she was nearly by the rear of the train, and that the last few compartments were mostly filled with Slytherins, she worried. She turned around before completely walking away to see Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent Bulstrode exiting what seemed to be their carriage. She strained her eyes to get a better view. The only two left in the carriage were Draco and Pansy Parkinson, which made her blood boil. That stupid girl would stop at nothing would she? She fought the urge to go back over there and give the lemming a piece of her mind. Blake, amongst the ensuing ruckus of footsteps and voices, grabbed Silver's wrist in an effort to keep the group together and pulled her away.

Just before she boarded the invisibly drawn carriages, Tonks walked by, quickly smiling at her and then making her way to the train. Silver wondered why Tonks was there, but she supposed it was for the added protection the school had probably put into effect.

The four of them were one of the last groups to reach the entrance hall, and once they'd entered the opened doors of the Great Hall almost everyone was already settled. Silver's eyes drifted over to the Gryffindor table, catching sight of Ron's bright red hair, and inwardly laughed at the slight reminder she had of his twin brothers, but not a sign of Harry in sight. She followed Dominic and sat down beside him. Professor Dumbledore looked out at the student body with a hopeful light in his eyes. He smiled warmly down at the first years who were being introduced by Professor McGonagall and after a few words from her, the sorting commenced.

The first boy sorted, Arthur Miller, joined the Gryffindor table, followed by the second girl. The third, a boy by the name of Noah Wesley, was the first to join Ravenclaw. Consequently, the table boasted in an uproar of applause and cheers in an encouraging welcome to the first year. Just three more after that made it to Ravenclaw, a small number compared to those who were placed in the other houses.

Dumbledore then said a handful of words from his seat at the Professor's table and signaled that it was now time for the feast to begin. The clattering of plates against silverware echoed throughout the hall, and so they began. Silver casually looked over to the Slytherin table, to where after a few inconspicuous glances had been able to approximate where Malfoy was sitting, to see him once again lost in his thoughts, but a quick nudge from Parkinson seemed to have been enough to bring him back down to earth. He regarded her blankly, uninterested in what she was rambling about, to which Silver found quite rewarding. He now seemed more alert, as his eyes surreptitiously travelled through the table in front of him and landed on the object of his interest. Silver was no longer looking at him, rather she was engrossed in a conversation with Blake Trench and Dominic Dates. Lately, he had been finding Dates's presence to be quite irksome.

When suddenly, the sound of the grand doors of the hall opening seemed to have caught nearly everyone's attention; Harry rapidly lumbered through, and Silver caught a glimpse of dried blood splattered around his nose. Luna followed after him, much to her surprise, quite at ease with the attention and squeezed between Silver and Blake.

"Is there pudding?" she asked Silver, but then disregarded it when her eyes landed on a big bowl of vanilla pudding. Silver, positively scandalized, pulled on Luna's sleeve urging her to look at her and pointed her eyes towards Harry.

"What happened?" Silver asked quickly, not even having noticed Luna wasn't with them before.

"Oh, Harry you mean? I found him on the floor in one of the carriages on the train, he was under his invisibility cloak." Luna carried a whisper so no one would hear, "I think he was stupefied or paralyzed, something of the sort, but I dunno who could've possibly done it. There were wackspurts fuzzing up his brain. Although that can have something to do with it, it isn't strong enough to knock him out cold." She denoted, quite seriously.

Silver pondered this, debating whether to ask what wackspurts were when she realized there was something greater at stake. "What carriage was it?"

"Towards the back, by where we were all sitting." She reached over to grab a biscuit.

Silver, fearing the worst, instinctively shot a glance over at Draco, who seemed to suddenly be very interested in finishing his plate of food, whereas everyone around him was deliberately gossiping about what could've happened.

"I'm sure he just fell flat on his face is all, Potter just craves attention." Pansy said loudly.

Crabbe and Goyle snickered.

"Is that why you stayed behind Malfoy?" Blaise asked shrewdly, catching on to something no one else had.

Draco looked at him, and he instantly caught on to it meaning a yes.

"Well done." Blaise congratulated.

Silver fought against the gabble of students in the Hufflepuff table to get a look at Harry, but found it increasingly hard to do so with Ernie McMillain's head constantly getting in the way.

Suddenly Dumbledore began to speak, he smiled brightly at the students, holding his hands out in a great welcome.

A few gasps echoed in response to his friendly greeting. "His hand..it's black.." Luna said slowly.

Almost as if he had heard her, he proceeded on to saying that it wasn't at all something to worry about. Just a minor accident, he said. He hastily continued to introducing Professor Slughorn as the new Potions professor, which sent the great hall to an uproar.

"That means, Snape is finally teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts." Said a boy from the Slytherin table, voicing what everyone in the room was already thinking.

"That's…peculiar." Blake seemed concerned.

"He's been after the job for decades," Dominic explained to Silver, who was at a loss for why this had such an impact on everyone, "Rumor has it, Dumbledore supposedly did it on purpose, keeping him away from the job. He's a reformed death eater you know."

"So why would he hand him the job now? With everything going on?" Silver asked, suddenly understanding the seriousness of the issue.

"Dunno."

The Slytherins were all quite pleased, Blaise Zabini had such a broad grin on his face, it almost made Silver uncomfortable to watch. Dumbledore got around to calming the room, and after a few more words, bid them all to their common rooms so they could get some much needed rest.

The news about Snape was still buzzing around the corridors as everyone parted ways to their own common rooms. The Gryffindors seemed to be the most horrified. Silver sped up her walk to catch up to Harry and Ron, passing by Hermione who was busy ushering the first years through the entrance hall.

"You were knocked out cold?" Silver asked urgently, quiet enough so only he would hear.

Harry swiveled around, surprised. He looked at her, unsure of whether to tell her or not. "Tomorrow."

Harry avoided her gaze and so did Ron. Admittedly she started to feel the very same way Ginny did, as if they were always hiding something.

"At breakfast."Resolved in finding an answer, she didn't give him much of a choice to avoid it and then walked off.

"What are you going to tell her mate?" Ron pondered.

Hermione, who had overheard the conversation, quickly input a word of advice,"Harry, she'd be heart-broken to hear it was Malfoy." She said, concerned.

"She's got to know the truth, and if breaking her heart is the way to do it. There's no way around it then is there?"

-

Silver didn't want to make any predisposed assumptions about what could've happened. The pieces fit, but it could al have been a coincidence. Draco _had_ been one of the last to leave the train, and so had Harry. But really, to say they had both stayed behind together would be presumptuous, wouldn't it? She sighed loudly as she tailed a few fifth years that were on their way to the common room with the rest of the Ravenclaws.

She would simply have to wait until she received the earnest truth from Harry. There really was no need to confront Draco with false accusations or suspicions. It would only strain their relationship, and with its already frail state, there really was no need for it.

**A/N: So for this chapter, I decided to go with the movie version of Harry's bloody nose.  
It was obviously perfect, thanks to Luna !**

**I hope you all enjoyed it and that it helps make your Monday's just a little less tragic;  
because all of your reviews are so amazing, you guys definitely deserve it.  
Oh, and a special thank you to TwilightLuva8 (:**

**Previews for reviews !**


	10. Provocation

**Provocation**

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Morning broke the next day, unwanted sunshine poured in through the closed drapery of the domed windows in the common room. Draco rolled in his sheets, pulling the soft fabric over his face in an effort to shield the sun. Blaise was already up and dressed, he was always first to start and first to finish, and caused quite a stir as he threw the bathroom door shut. Crabbe fell off his bed with a loud thud and Goyle just nearly did the same but seemed to have learned from Crabbe's mistake.

"You buffoon, get up Crabbe." Blaise snapped.

"Bloody hell Blaise, why'd you have to go and do that for?" Goyle murmured groggily.

Within a matter of minutes, Crabbe and Goyle were dressed and ready. Blaise shot a look at Draco, who didn't seem to have the intention of moving, and left with the pair. When it was clear, Draco pushed his blankets aside and sat up. He blinked, finding that it was more of a losing war with his sleepy eyelids. He hadn't gotten much sleep his first night back at Hogwarts. He'd actually been a lot more peaceful about everything back at the manor, just because it all seemed so far away. Now that he was at school, it was a pressing reality. He could no longer put it off. His throat suddenly tightened. He had never felt so lost in his entire life.

"What am I going to do.." he thought aloud, wondering if voicing the question that had been occupying his mind would allow him to answer it once it sounded more, real. He wanted to avoid breakfast at all costs, knowing that he would periodically be receiving letters checking on his progress, but he had to go today. It was the first day of classes and he would be getting his schedule. His head of house, Snape, would ask him along with the rest of the Slytherins what their future aspirations were, and try to nudge them in the right direction to attain it. But as of now, Draco had no ambitions. He had no other choice, really, his career was thrust upon him. When he was younger, this was his dream; he could think of nothing more than to make his father proud and become a deatheater, just like him. However, now, it was a trap – and he was pulled in so deep, that he could never escape.

He looked at the clock beside him, vouching he had to get dressed if he wanted to catch the last fifteen minutes of breakfast.

Silver stood in the queue behind Blake, aggravated. She couldn't speak to Harry this morning like she was looking forward to. Each house was lined up in a different corner of the room with their head of houses, waiting to be approved to N.E.W.T level courses. Her eyes wandered, but she couldn't catch sight of neither Draco nor Harry. When it was finally her turn, Professor Flitwick examined her results carefully.

"Had a nice summer did you?" he asked her.

"Yes, sir, thank you." She smiled, watching the top of his head.

"Excellent, very well done Ms. Crouch…errr…Potter." He quickly cleared his throat in an effort to make the mistake causal, "Potions, Charms, the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and divinations. Would you like to continue all five?"

"What do you recommend professor?" she asked, unsure herself of what she should do.

He looked up, "Do you have any ambitions for a future career? An auror or a teacher perhaps?"

"No, not at the moment."

"Well then, take all five. What have you got to lose? Best to keep your options open innit?" he said encouragingly as he marked her down for all five.

He preceded to oblige to the demands of the rest of the sixth year Ravenclaws as Silver met with Blake who was a bit ahead.

"What have you got?" Blake asked, not seeking an answer for she snatched the parchment right out of Silver's hand.

"Bloody brilliant! We've got Charms and Transfigurations together." She grinned broadly before adding, "Divinations?"

Silver sighed, "Yes, divinations. It's my favorite subject didn't you know?" she said sarcastically.

"Oh so it is mine as well!" Luna said cheerily from behind them, "I've got it with Firenze, what about you?"

Silver took her timetable from Blake, "Me too. What happened to Professor Trewlaney?"

"Not sure, but I hear she's rather upset with the idea of another Divinations teacher."

"It might be because she's a nut." Blake murmured, causing an affronted Luna to stare at her oddly.

"She's lovely, just a bit different. The world would be quite boring if we were all the same wouldn't it?"Luna simply said.

Blake, still astonished by Luna's blatant ways of speaking blinded truths, was rendered speechless and decided to change the conversation to Alec, who had just crossed their path. Luna fell behind, still examining her schedule. Divinations was first for Silver, who instantly regretted taking on so many subjects when she learned that Blake had a free period until after lunch.

"We've got Defense Against the Dark Arts together Draco!" Silver heard a girlish squeal as she neared the exit of the great hall. She instinctively jerked her head to where the sound had come from to see Pansy Parkinson practically hanging off of Draco's arm.

"You've got to be kidding me." Silver said, to no one really.

Blake stopped, "About what?" but she needn't not be answered for the question answered itself with one glance at the Slytherins, "Who does that prat think she is?"

Silver stood with her arms crossed over her chest, staring directly at them, causing Luna to also halt and wonder what she was looking at.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Blaise walked forward a few inches, closing in on her when she realized how much attention he had drawn.

"Nice to see you too Zabini." Silver drawled.

Her response seemed to have drawn even more attention, this time including that of Draco and Pansy as well. The small, irritating girl purposely moved closer to Draco, pretending to not have noticed Silver's sudden appearance.

"Ah, too bad I can't say the same about you Potter."

And suddenly, a voice decided it was appropriate to interrupt the scene."Potter? Did you just say Potter Mr. Zabini?" A large, round figure stood between them with a large smile painted n his face, "Is this true? I read about it in the _Prophet_ this past summer but hadn't thought it to be true."

Silver kept her piercing green eyes on Zabini, but had no choice but to break it when Slughorn began to address her directly. Her story was in the _Daily Prophet_?

"Professor Horace Slughorn." He introduced himself and outstretched a hand, "how do you do?"

"Silver," she said simply, "fine, thank you."

"Ah, Ms. Potter, but it has to be true! Look at that striking resemblance to your brother..your mother's green eyes.." he trailed off, but then put his hands along his suspenders, "I look forward to seeing you in Potions later. According to my list, you've signed up for my class. Well played, I'll make a Potions master out of you!" he said brightly and nodded his head at Zabini before he left.

By the time he'd walked out, Draco had managed to break away from Pansy and was now standing beside Blaise.

"Looks like you're going to follow you brother's footsteps," Blaise said smugly, "earn you're the sympathy vote from your teachers, only because they feel so terrible for your pathetic lives."

Draco eyed his friend cautiously, "Piss off Blaise."

Blaise looked a bit put off, "Don't tell me _this _is still going on? " he said, aggravated, "If anyone's got to piss off it's you Malfoy."

Draco only glared at him before he walked off without another look at neither Silver nor Blaise. Silver followed his lead, but instead went the opposite direction towards the Divinations classroom with Luna.

"I can't do this anymore." She exhaled, determinedly looked straight ahead, "I thought I could, I really thought I did. But it's just…_impossible._ He doesn't tell me anything, and I went nearly the entire summer without even a mere letter from him. if he wants to……..," she faltered, "_end things_. He should just do it already."

Luna looked at her sympathetically, truthfully feeling sadness for Silver. They had seemed so at ease together last year. They would fight, but it just seemed as if things were simpler. "I don't think he wants to break up with you Silver. He just seems a bit, bothered with something."

"That much I've figured out. He just won't tell me what _it_ is." She frowned, pausing momentarily."He's probably told Parkinson." She said bitterly.

"I doubt that. I'm sure if he hasn't told you, no one else knows."

"What makes you so sure?"

Luna shrugged, "You see, you can tell a lot about a person by their wackspurts."

Thankfully, Silver hadn't enough time to question her furthur. The pair walked in to a teaching centaur that had already begun his lesson. Divinations was a lot more interesting with Firenze, he spoke of myths and methods the centaurs had to telling the future, something that seemed more legitimate than Trewlany's teachings. As class droned to it's end, Silver's heart sank knowing that DADA was just round the corner and she would have to make do with having both Draco and Harry in the same classroom.

She bid Luna goodbye and descended down the North tower towards civilization. Not a lot of students seemed to have signed up for Divinations, and the tower was nearly vacant; but amongst the few were Lavender Brown and Padma's twin sister, Pavarti.

Already having lost count of the abundant amount of staircases she had descended, she finally made it to the third floor to meet with Blake and head to what now was known as Snape's classroom. Blake was anxiously waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.

"You want Snape to _kill_ us? We've got to be there loads earlier than this to spare ourselves!" Blake's auburn hair was tied into a loose bun with a few rogue strands falling against her cheekbones. She seized Silver's arm and pulled her into another dreadful sprint. Blake suddenly slowed her pace, seeing as there was a waiting queue outside the Potion's corridor.

Silver looked past Blake's shoulder and announced, "I suppose we're early then!"

"Not quite." Blake laughed as she past the gaggle and made her way up to Padma Patil.

The three of them exchanged hello's when Silver caught sight of Draco. She felt a sudden pressure on her chest when he locked eyes with her. She looked away, still unhappy with the lack of protectiveness he showed when Blaise confronted her earlier. She pretended to be listening to Padma going on about her prefect duties, her thoughts drifting elsewhere, when she saw the girl's face twist in confusion. Blake looked in the same direction as well but had a different reaction, immediately burying herself in gossip she had surely just invented on a whim, a whim to distract Padma. Silver was left to ponder their peculiar behavior, until she looked to her right and her eyes landed on a boy's chest.

"What do you want Draco?" she asked, her voice sounding a bit tired.

He took a moment to answer, but she could feel his eyes on her. "I just wanted to see how your classes were going."

She looked at him when she heard a tinge of disappointment in his words, "Fine, thanks, but you'd probably already know that if you weren't hiding all the time."

He didn't respond to this, knowing she spoke the truth.

"I bet you've asked Parkinson." She accused, crossing her arms over her chest, "Do tell, is she having a fine day so far?"

He shook his head wearily, "You know she's bloody mad Silver – "

"Stop making excuses Draco," She said as she brought her hand to her forehead, "If you still mean what you told me during the summer about us….._ending_ things." Her voice was but a whisper, "then, well then…just tell me."

He paused, marshaling his thoughts, and said,"Do you?"

"Do _you_?" she insisted.

"I asked you first_._"

"No, I asked you first." Her lips shut into a straight line but they slowly loosened into a stifled smile, "We fight over everything don't we?"

He let out a short laugh, "Yes, we do. Can you just forget about it, what I said I mean. It was a load of rubbish, I'm just as insane as Parkinson really."

Silver chuckled, pushing her mid-length bangs off her forehead, which she had deliberately pinned to the side. "These dreadful things!" she laughed again.

He smiled, allowing himself to take her lead, only difference being he successfully managed to set them right, and let his fingers linger on her temple once he had tucked the strands behind her ear.

"Of course you'd know how to fix hair better than I would, pretty boy."

"You think I'm pretty?" he smirked as she stepped closer to him.

"No. Definitely not."

Silence fell upon the queue immediately when the sound of the classroom door creaking open alerted them that Snape was in the vicinity.

"Inside." He drawled in his usual monotone as he patiently waited for each student to, silently, enter. His black eyes fell on Draco and Silver, lingering upon Draco longer than Silver thought normal. The oval room seemed to be overcrowded with desks, seeing as now all four houses were combined. The pair sat together, much to Blake's dismay who was now forced to endure Padma longer than she would find enjoyable. Silver hadn't even noticed Harry, who was shooting daggers at Malfoy's direction.

"Wait til she finds out her boyfriend's a deatheater." He said succinctly to Hermione besides him.

"Oh not this again Harry." She said, throwing her hands over her face.

"Well, he _is._" He stated confidently.

She looked back at Ron who was busy wondering what Neville kept looking for so frantically.

Anthony Goldstein reached over his desk to tap Blake's shoulder, to which she obliged to face him. "Silver isn't dating that bloke is she?" He said, revolted. Blake opened her mouth to answer but was saved by Snape initiating the lesson.

"I'm surprised you've all managed to scrap a grade worthy enough to enter the N.E.W.T's level," his eyes fell upon the class, making sure he had everyone's undivided attention, "Brace yourselves for this class will be anything _but_ simple."

Silver felt a bit uneasy, and it wasn't because of Snape's bracing greeting, but because of the way he would look at Draco so frequently. She kept her eyes on the professor, examining him closely. He looked somewhat, different. His sallow cheeks seemed even sallower and his ashy skin, paler. She met his dark eyes for just a second when her mind meandered off unwillingly.

"_Severus, please, he's just a boy. My son!"_

Silver stiffened, alert, and looked around. Nobody spoke, Snape's voice was the only sound heard. Yet that voice belonged to a woman, and not just any woman. It sounded like Narcissa.

"I do hope there isn't anything in the classroom that is distracting enough to avert your attention Ms_. Potter._" Snape drawled but for an instant, she thought she had seen hesitation in his face.

Silver, admittedly, had nothing to say. "No, of course not professor."

The classroom once again broke into silence, and the attention went back to Snape.

"Is it definite then, an Inferius has been seen then?" Said Padma whilst Blake rolled her eyes.

"It is a great possibility he will, he has used them in the past, therefore I see no reason for him not utilizing them in the future.." He travelled across the room, his cloak nearly getting stuck under Neville Longbottoms shoe, and in his highest efforts to avoid that from happening, fell right off his chair. Snape's black eyes glanced at him impassively, "Who can tell me the advantages of a nonverbal spell? Preferably someone who can manage to sit upright in his seat." He said the last bit in a taunting manner, causing a few laughs from the Slytherins, and then addressed Hermione Granger's persistent arm, "Yes, Ms. Granger."

"Your adversary hasn't the slightest idea of what you are to perform next, thus giving you the advantage while the other hesitates." She said quickly, but proudly.

Snape seemed uninterested, "Do not bother to open your textbooks to see if Ms. Granger is correct, Mr. Goldstein, for she has said it's definition straight off of _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade Six_…word for word." He said dismissively, his sight drifting off towards Draco and Silver again, "You will now split into pairs, one partner will attempt to jinx the other silently, while the other repels it, in silence as well."

The class immediately got to work searching for a partner, Silver and Draco paired up, Anthony and Terry did as well, and closest on her right, Parkinson and Bulstrode.

A few minutes into the class, Draco and Silver had accomplished absolutely nothing, instead Silver would break into laughter at the degree of concentration in Draco's expression.

"Stop laughing." He insisted, holding back a laugh himself.

"But you're nearly purple! It's impossible to stop."

He looked displeased, things not going at all how he planned. Clearly, impressing Silver with his uncanny knack to catch on to nonverbal spells so quickly wasn't going to work.

Suddenly, Silver noticed Pansy's aim askew. Her wand was no longer pointed at Millicent, but at her. She had a look of upmost concentration in her face, alarming Silver as she instinctively chanted, "Protego!"

Having perfected the shield charm from Harry at the DADA meeting last year, the small girl was sent flying backwards, crashing into Lavender Brown. Lavender yelped in fear while Pansy hastily lifted herself off of the girl, scornfully. Draco looked back at Silver, his eyes wide with a mixture of shock and admiration. Silver eyes were wide as well, but for a different reason entirely as she heard Snape's voice hissing behind her.

"I _said_," he marched up to her, "practice on your own partners, Ms. Potter. Last I checked, Mr. Malfoy here was said person, not Ms. Parkinson."

Silver felt herself shrink under his glowering gaze, "She was about to jinx me!" she said, although knowing it would get her nowhere.

"Oh, stop pointing fingers would you?" said Pansy in a high pitched voice as she straightened out her robes, "I did nothing of the sort."

Silver looked aghast, "Your joking aren't you? I _saw_ you, your wand was pointed straight at me!" her voice was louder now.

"Ms. Potter," he said through his teeth, "my classroom is not a place for your personal differences with another student."

Silver's eyes were ready to bulge out of their sockets, "But Professor –"

"Back to work, immediately or I shall issue you a detention! Ten points from Ravenclaw." Snape snapped harshly, walking past them to continue his patrol of the class.

Silver stared back at Pansy, a wild look in her eye and her wand just inches away when Draco leaned forward to grab her shoulder. "It's not worth it, Snape will never side with you." He said in barely a whisper.

She avoided his pleading gaze, but surrendered nonetheless. "Teacher's aren't supposed to have favorites."

"Seems like he never received the memo then."

"I'm not imaging it, you know, she really did have her wand pointed at me."

Draco only stared at her, glancing backwards at Pansy, then looking at Silver. "That was bloody brilliant you know." He smiled, "I think Snape was more upset about the idea that you could cast such a strong defense spell."

Silver blushed, "It was pretty great wasn't it?"

He traced her jaw line, "Great…but not better than mines."

She put her hand over his, unknowingly earning themselves several disapproving looks, the harshest from Harry.

"It has to end, Ron." Harry said, resolved. "Look at them!"

Ron stared at Silver and Draco. "Blimey, I'd never thought Malfoy would be so..open about it. I mean, Pansy and him were always wrapped around each other like a bunch of eels, but, _she_ was slytherin at best. And she especially wasn't _your _sister."

Instead of helping, Harry found Rons musings to have repulsed him further. "I can't concentrate." He set his wand down on his desk beside him.

"Pick it up Harry. Snape's coming." Ron said as effortlessly as he could make it seem.

"I don't care."

"_You _too, Potter? I've already had to deduct points from your sister. Is it necessary to inflict the same punishment on you?"

Harry glared at him. "No, it's not."

"Then I suggest you see to it, and have nonverbal spells mastered in the ten minutes that remain before class is dismissed." He said, traipsing by him dismissively.

"If I master it, is he eligible to use as practice?" Harry said darkly, once again reaching for his wand.

As the day passed, Silver's mind seemed to be getting more and more caught up with that mere sentence. It could be a figment of her wild imagination, a result of spending too much time deducing what had happened with the Malfoy's over the summer. Lucius was in Azkaban, leaving Narcissa and Draco the manor to themselves. Narcissa would never put her son in danger, especially if she didn't have Lucius as an influence. She simply wouldn't allow it.

Recalling the words, Silver had gauged Narcissa's character correctly. What she heard was a plea for her son. She was indeed protecting him from something, whether she had succeeded was another matter she didn't have the right amount of resources to hypothesize.

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**A/N: Ok, so I just wanted to say how excited I am for the upcoming chapters! I was inspired the other night and wrote two chapters.**

**Anywho, remember that gap between chapters, where one minute Bellatrix finds her and the next she's with Dumbledore?  
Well, the gaps will slowly be answered in subtle ways, and this is the first of a series of flashbacks that are going to be triggered.**

**So on that note, please revieww! They make me happy(:  
And, they'll earn you a preview.**


	11. Going Too Far

**Going Too Far**

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Why had she heard that? What did it mean? The ostentatious voice in her head, that now had her wracking her brains for nearly the entire school week, continued to bother her.

It was probably nothing, she frequently told herself. Most likely a memory of her past, way back to when she used to spend her summers, amongst other occasions, at Malfoy Manor. And although her theory seemed plausible enough, it didn't quite seem to satisfy her.

The rest of her classes went by seemingly well. She'd already finished her paper for Snape with Draco, Flitwick was kind enough to spare them any assignments the first week in, and she had already predicted what was to ensue in the next two weeks for Firenze. The only class she hadn't been to was Potions, but the wait would soon be over.

She begrudgingly stepped, and stepped, and stepped, down what seemed to be dozens of staircases on her way to the common room after Astronomy. She found herself yawning frequently as she descended until finally, the knocker was in sight. She solved it's riddle, which seemed particularly annoying today, and dragged her feet inside. Luna sat at the armchair closest to the fire, watching the dying embers of the fire, while Dominic didn't even bother to tear his gaze away from the text of his book. His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion and he seemed to be thinking very hard about something.

There were two seventh years chattering on the couch opposite Luna, but she seemed too distracted to notice.

"Luna, how'd you get here so fast?" Silver questioned, knowing that she had just seem Luna in class just before she had left.

"I flew." She broke the staring contest between her and the dying fire, smiling absentmindedly.

Silver thought it best not to venture further into her response and simply smiled. She landed next to Dominic, throwing her head down on the wooden table in exasperation. "Are you as tired as I am?"

Dominic seemed to have just realized he had company, "Oh, hey, when did you get in? What time is it? Astronomy's over already?" He asked quickly, slurring his questions together while he threw his hand up to glimpse at his watch, his face quickly became one of panic, "How did It get so late!" He said addressing himself rather than Silver, whom didn't mind at all for she was quite comfortable where she was.

"Get up to your room! Have you even seen the time?" He closed his textbooks. His big brown eyes looked at her expectedly, waiting for her to stand, and when she didn't, reckoned to take matters into his own hands, in all literal terms of the word. He placed his hands under her arms and picked her up, and out of her comfort.

"Are you going to tuck me in as well, daddy?" Silver fluttered her eyelashes best as she could, even that minimal activity seeming strenuous.

"Oh, shut it will you?" He said, leading her to the landing of the stairs that lead to the girls dormitories before he climbed off in the opposite direction.

Her dreams once more wandered off into possibilities of what could have been happening that consequently lead Narcissa her to desperate pleads. It was dark, forbidden, as if the dream were warning her to leave at once.

"_Severus, please, he's just a boy. My son!"_

She heard again, but this time, the scene was painted in a more vivid manner. She could see everything as if she were drifting from above, and she was somewhat unsettled at the scene before her. Narcissa stood, a figure of elegance and poise, although her face pale face was stained with tears and regret. She stood directly opposite of a recognizable man with greasy, black hair draping on either sides of his long face. His eyes were uncaring and cold, as he snapped at the other woman in the room, whom was the complete opposite of Narcissa next to her. She had wild black, unruly hair, brown eyes embedded with underlying madness, and wore a black cloak that did well at overpowering her small body.

And that's where it stopped, her dream world suddenly became cloudy and all she heard were shrieks of her name being said in condescension. Suddenly, she materialized in a different realm entirely, one that she had never before seen. She was at Hogwarts and she was running, so quickly she knew she was being carried, certain her legs weren't touching the ground. She figuratively climbed the stairs, because indeed her feet weren't contacting the steps below her, and there stood an elderly, wizened man; frail and disdained, a weakened version of the Dumbledore she knew. And then again, the dream grew cloudy and black.

But this darkness wouldn't last long, her eyes popped open. Her insides were beginning to feel hot and a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead. She examined the room, adjusting her pupils to the moonlight shining through and pushed the silky sheets off of her, breathing loudly.

"Silver?" Blake said suddenly. She was sitting upright, leaning against her headboard.

Silver looked a bit surprised to see her, not expecting anyone to be awake at this time. She turned to have a quick glance at the night table between them, three a.m.

"You're stll up?" Silver breathed, a bit out of air for some reason.

Blake looked at her speculatively, "I think the better question is why _are _you still up? You look positively terrified."

Silver clutched on nightgown, inspecting herself up and down. "Do i?"

Blake nodded, definite worry etched in her hazel eyes. "Nightmare?"

That was legitimate enough to work, Silver lied and breathed, "Yeah." Although, something in the pit of her stomach told her this wasn't just an ordinary dream, it seemed too…_real._

Sleep didn't pay her a visit that night.

The next morning Silver woke up feeling rather absentminded. Blake had spoken to her and she hadn't even realized it. She grabbed her school robes and hurried off to the bathroom as soon as she had a chance. She immediately turned the polished handles of the shower and let the water run before she grabbed her toothbrush. Her reflection frightened her, she looked tired. Her slightly tanned skin had significantly paled, something she had, in spite of herself, become accustomed to with the lack of sunlight she received at Hogwarts. Salem was a much more open campus, and it hardly ever rained quite the opposite to present weather patterns. Slower than usual, she brushed her teeth, staring back at herself. Her hair proved her lack of sleep, it was unkempt and frizzy; a result of friction between her fidgeting body and the sheets. She quickly tend to it so that it would fall into a decent resemblance of her usual cascade of waves.

Once she'd finished, she met Luna in the common room, and they both ventured off to Divinations. Firenze was quite a step up from Trelawney, although Silver admittedly never had anything against her, she was a bit mad. Firenze was trotting down from each round table to the next, passing out their graded predictions, when he landed on the table shared by Silver and Luna. His animal-like face nodded approvingly, as he fingered the parchment in his hands.

"Excellent work," he congratulated Silver, "one of your predictions have already come true."

Silver stared speechlessly, but decided to string him on, "Really Professor, and which might that be?"

He paused for a moment."There was indeed, a cat settled on the windowsill of my office this morning. Quite on point, I must say. And It was also, orange." Said the centaur as he handed her the paper, then continuing off to Luna, and striding over to Lavender Brown in a neighboring table.

Luna's big blue eyes looked at her thoughtfully, "Can you really see into the future?"

Silver shook her head and quietly said, "Of course not Luna, I made this all up remember? You helped me!"

Luna seemed unconvinced, "No, if I recall correctly, you made that one up on your own."

Silver opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it, thinking over what she'd just said. Luna was right, she had invented that one, but it was all on a whim! The idea simply popped into her head and it seemed rather funny at the moment, therefore wrote it down, finding it fitting for her assignment.

"Alright then, now that you've all seen your marks. Open your textbooks to page fifty-seven." Firenze instructed bracingly, thus drawling on for the next hour and a half until lunch.

Once class was declared over, she went down to lunch with Luna and Blake, whom they ran into in the fourth floor corridor. Blake instantly caught sight of Dominic at the table and sat next to him, Silver and Luna following suit. She glanced over her shoulder, as she always did, for her silent greeting with Draco before fixing herself a plate.

"Ready for Potions?" said Anthony about fifteen minutes into their meal, much to her dismay.

She nearly choked on a swig of her pumpkin juice. "We've got potions together?"

"Lucky you huh?" He said, grinning so charmingly, anyone but her would find it positively god-like.

She could feel the lunch she had just swallowed hinting towards indigestion, "Lucky me." Once they were all done and she could stall the moment no longer, Silver ruefully parted from her friends.

"If they split us into pairs, I'm partnering up with you, hope you know…" He began to ramble, but as luck would have it Harry and Hermione were crossing their paths at the same moment.

"Harry!"

He jerked his head around and smiled, but just barely. He seemed more flustered at the sight of her than anything else. He looked at her nervously, "Hey."

Hermione passed Harry a reproachful glance, "Hi Silver.. Anthony."

"Granger." Anthony smiled, "You patrolling tonight with Weasley right?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, that's right."

He didn't seem interested in furthering his conversation with Hermione.

"You don't mind Anthony? I think I'm going to talk to Harry and Hermione for a bit." she said dismissively, quickly maneuvering the pair of them away.

"Why didn't you want to walk with him?" Harry suddenly said.

Silver eyed him suspiciously, "He irritates me, you know that."

"He's not so bad…I think you should give him a chance. Don't you Hermione?" Harry insisted, dragging Hermione into the conversation, leading her to feel a bit out of sorts.

"I mean, he's a nice, I suppose." She answered, unsure if that's what Harry wanted her to say.

"Who is?" Ron interrupted, his unforgiving knack for wearing his emotions so freely imposing a jealous look in his face.

"Anthony Goldstein."

Ron's face twisted, "He is? I always thought he was bloody annoying."

Harry glared at him. "Let's just get to class."

The four of them travelled silently down to the murky depths of Hogwarts, no one bothered to break the awkward quiet, unsure of what had caused it. Harry looked upset, Hermione seemed trouble, and Ron seemed to be the only one scrupulous enough to walk beside Silver. The Potions corridor warmly greeted them with humid vapors and odd smells. A hufflepuff by the name of Ernie McMillian instantly caught sight of Harry and the others, engaging in conversation and in the process keeping them from entering class. So Silver, having no acquaintance with the bloke, walked through the open door. The table nearest to the door was entirely empty and the one on the opposite end was occupied by four Slytherins. Between sitting alone or with Draco, a hateful group of Slytherins part of the package as well, she opted for neither and chose the table in the middle full of Ravenclaws.

"Didn't know you were in this class." Said Michael Corner to her, smilling.

"I told you she was just a second ago." Argued Anthony, in her honor.

"Give it a rest already!" Terry Boot said extending his arms opposite of him towards the bickering boys, "They've been arguing about it since we got here."

Silver's cheeks turned red, utter embarrassment ridden on her face, "How's Savannah?" she said, avoiding the subject.

Terry's face twisted into one of a pure state of elation, "Beautiful, as always. She's already talking about graduation this year though." He said a bit sadly, "Not something I particularly enjoy hearing about."

"Don't worry Terry, there's always the chance she mysteriously fails all of her subjects miserably."

"Doubt it, although, I'm up for suggestions on how to make that happen."

Silver laughed, and at that moment entered Harry, Ron, Hermione and the Hufflepuff, followed by Professor Slughorn. He hastily greeted the class, quickly referencing how lovely the weather was before he got started. From where Draco was sitting, he faced Silver directly, but kept his eyes fixed on the table.

Slughorn went on to introducing three separate potions that were stationed on each of their desks. The Slytherin table held a cauldron filled with a Veristaterum, a clear liquid, which Hermione was quick to point out before Slughorn had even asked.

"And who can tell me what this is?" he said gesturing towards the Ravenclaw table.

Hermiones hand shot up in the air once more, "It's Polyjuice potion, sir." She said happily.

For the first time since class had started, Draco's eyes parted from the table, fixedly staring at the cauldron in front of Terry. He curiously, almost hungrily, examined the cauldron, meeting Silver's eye in the process and hastily looked back at the professor.

"Well done then, Ms. Granger, well done. Now how about this one?"

"It's Amortentia!" Hermione nearly jumped out of her seat, her freckled cheeks acquiring red patches.

"Quite right, and amortentia, for those who don't know is –"

"The most powerful love potion in the world.." Hermione said breathlessly.

Slughorn looked amused, "You are an intelligent girl Ms. Granger, perhaps from a long line of influential and equally as brilliant wizards?"

Hermione's confidence shot down so quickly, it was plainly obvious to see she had no desire to answer the question, "No, you see sir, I'm muggle-born."

A chortle was heard from the Slytherin table as Theodore Nott nudged Draco in the arm, in invitation to join his fun, but Draco simply seemed indifferent.

"Oho! Harry I do believe you've mentioned her before?" he barked, his big belly shaking rhythmically, "Well then, I want you all to explore the potions around you, except for this small one of course," he held a phial in his fingertips.

"What does it do professor?" Said Michael Corner anxiously.

"Well this one, m'boy, is a little potion known as liquid luck. Any ideas what it does Ms. Granger?"

"It makes you lucky!" Hermione cheerily obliged to answer his question.

Draco once again leaned forward in his seat, suddenly interested in the phial in Slughorn's hands. Silver noticed the hungry look in his expression again as he watched it carefully.

"But enough of this for now, please stand, look around, as I write your assignment. Whoever 's first to complete it on my mark, will be taking this," he gently tapped the phial, "soon earning the title of the only student at Hogwarts with perfect luck at their grasps!"

Excitedly, the class stood, travelling around the classroom and doing as the professor said, whereas Silver headed first to look at the Veritaserum in the Slytherin table.

"So, how interested are you in that liquid luck?" muttered Silver, as she eyed the cauldron in the table.

Draco looked down at her, "It'd be nice wouldn't it? To have everything go your way for once.."

"Such as?"

He sighed, "We're not going to talk about this here."

"Doesn't really make a difference where we are, now does it?" she said snidely, tracing the edges of the table.

"No..it doesn't.." he said in just barely a whisper.

Her pink lips downturned, "That's what I thought."

He let his hand cover hers, preventing her from finishing the imaginary pattern she was tracing on the table. She looked down at it, his pale hand over hers, and for a moment she smiled inwardly, just because she loved the way it felt – his touch. But it was quickly thwarted when they were each instructed to go back to their seats to begin their assignments.

"Well done Harry m'boy!" Said Professor Slughorn at the end of class, awarding Harry with the phial of liquid luck; the class stared on in envy, a particularly strong one radiating from Hermione. Ron seemed as happy as a button though, truly astonished at his friend's excellent potions work. It seems everyone had their own ideas about what they would use that golden liquid for, for everyone somberly piled out of class with a grim look on their face. Sliver stayed behind, with no hurry, packing her things. Draco, much to her surprise, joined her and took the seat once inhabited by Terry, waiting for her patiently. Although his patience seemed to be brought on by the intense look of concentration on his face, his forehead was slightly covered by the palm of his hand.

"I really needed that.." he said stiffly, his eyes fixed on the textbook she had yet to collect.

She didn't answer, instead setting her sights on his troubled face and tried her best to analyze it. The room was empty now, unsettling smells growing stronger.

"Wee Potty always gets what he wants, doesn't he." His voice was bitter, "Quick to pick his favorites isn't he, Slughorn I mean?"

"Why does it bother you so much? Do you really need to know that you're a teacher's pet?" Silver said, "I'd say you're probably better off this way, Slughorn seems a bit mad really."

Draco smiled faintly, "He would've given me the felix felicis if I was.."

"That's where you're wrong, love. Harry _earned_ it remember?" she watched his expression grow stonier, "He brewed the potion and chopped his roots, didn't he? I didn't see Slughorn do it for him."

"Potter's never been _that_ good." He said, shaking his head. "His little girlfriend even thought it was odd!"

"Do you mean Hermione?"

"Yes. Her."

"Draco," He looked at her when she spoke, "Didn't you know you could make your own luck?"

His eyes answered her gratefully, but his words were pessimistic, "I don't think that always works, at least, not when everything's a lot more difficult than you expected."

"Doesn't matter how difficult it is. You've just got to believe it can happen." She reached for his hand, "Of course, only if you have the right intentions in mind."

For a moment, she could've sworn his eyes were on the verge of brimming with tears, "What if I've got good intentions..but it doesn't seem like it…" his voice was barely a whisper, and the despair in his words made her throat tighten. She stepped towards him, watching his curious expression, and fell into his lap. His body stiffened, suddenly aware of the feeling of her body on his as she wrapped her arms around his neck. A warming sensation filled his chest and he felt as if his insides were dancing. He suddenly felt alright again, and in gratitude, threw his arms tightly around her waist; allowing his hands the freedom of exploring her lower back. She smiled into the hallow of his neck, inhaling his musky scent.

"Well then," she answered into his neck, sending chills up his spine, "I know your strong enough to make the right decision at the end….you don't need a bottle of felix to tell you that.."

Her words set him at ease, and for a moment he considered the right thing. But if his final choice were to spare an innocent life, he would then be stripped of his unlived life. And he wasn't ready to give up on the life he had the hopes of turning around, with Silver at his side. His heart leaped. There was still time, it was only a week into school. He had the rest of the year to fret over this. For now, all he wanted was to engulf as deeply as he could into this moment. He drew his hand to her neck, lifting her face from it's comfortable position on his chest.

"I love you." He said, almost inaudibly.

She smiled warmly, kissing his bottom lip, "You better." And she noticed his eyes were hungry again, but this time, for a different reason. He returned the kiss, deepening it. Silver found herself caught a bit off guard by his suddenly passionate kiss. She felt his hands travelling down the stockings that covered her thighs and back up to her waist again. They had barely even had a moment to themselves, nonetheless snog, but when they did it was never this intense. And admittedly, she hadn't the slightest idea of what she was doing - but he seemed to like it. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, pressing her body closer to his as he slowly made his way up the sides of her stomach with intentions of reaching her breasts; until she surreptitiously placed her hand over his and redirected them back down to her hips. He broke away suddenly.

"Sorry.." he muttered.

Silver didn't quite expect Draco to have been a pure, innocent soul during his years at fact that he could've probably replayed this same scenario with quite a number of other girls ran through her mind more than once. And although, his love sounded sincere, she couldn't help herself in trying to avoid being just another number. And, quite honestly, she wasn't ready to expand their physicality of their relationship so suddenly. Or perhaps, it was the deceit in her past that didn't allow her love as freely as she would have liked.

"We should probably go," She let her forehead rest on his, "before someone catches us." She grinned mischievously.

He smirked, helping her to the floor and taking her hand securely in his as he led her out of the classroom.

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**A/N: I know, I know. Silver and Draco have been awfully fluffy lately.  
Do we like this or not? I want to know (:  
But I think this might be as far as gets for them, seeing as I don't consider myself being especially skilled in writing those 'hormones-are-soaring' sort of scenes LOL  
**

**Oh, and of course, as usual, thank you so much for all your reviews!  
Especially to those of you who I couldn't thank personally, TwilightLuva8 and Jasmine.**

**School's been hectic, midterms are approaching, and I really need a tan! Random, I know, but it's the truth.**

**Please keep your reviews coming, and as an extra thank you for taking time out of your day to do so, you will get a preview (:**


	12. Double Edged Sword

**Double-Edged Sword**

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"Honestly, what have you got to lose Silver?" Dominic urged his friend, his back facing one of the arched windows of the common room. The sunlight formed a halo around him as if he were a heavenly creature, simply visiting his earthly friends.

"A lot actually. Possibly an arm, maybe a leg.." she lifted her arm, demonstrating how nicely it looked, "a myriad of body parts really."

"But we _need_ a chaser. Don't do this to me!" Dominic pleaded, "At least try out, that's all I'm asking for." He sounded as desperate as an inexperienced Quidditch captain should. He wanted nothing more but to be captain last year, but when he'd lost the captaincy to Duncan Inglebee, he'd thought it was all over. Until Duncan decided it was too much for him to handle last week, and, on Roger Davie's word( the previous Quidditch captain), abruptly declared Dominic with the title, who obviously had no time to prepare.

"Davies, that bloody git. Typical of him! Typical he'd do this to me." he rambled, "He wanted nothing more than to see me fail as captain, and even after he graduates he continues to haunt me!"

Blake rolled her eyes, facing Silver with a bemused smile, "That's exactly what he's doing. He actually hasn't got anything better to do than to haunt you."

"Your mocking me, I don't like it Trench." Dominic said.

Blake laughed, "And what on earth gave you that idea Dates?"

He glowered down at her, not wasting another second until he moved towards Silver, "Please, just promise I'll see you Friday afternoon."

"Sure, sure. You'll see me." Silver batted her eyelashes, surreptitiously winking at Blake.

After class had drawled on enough for that day, Silver decided she would sit with Harry for dinner; seeing as she would find no peace sitting with Dominic for today and presumably the remainder of the week.

Ron erupted in a roar of laughter, nearly choking on his pumpkin juice as Hermione watched on disapprovingly. "Quidditch…_you_?"

Harry looked at Ron sternly, although, unable to control his giggles as well.

"He's asked me to try out Weasley! And I really can't say no, he'd kill me in my sleep." Silver said defeatedly.

"She isn't _that_ terrible Ron." Harry added, nudging Ron in the ribcage.

"No, not at all. She only managed to stay on her broom for a grand total of two minutes, but other than that, she could be playing pro in no time." Ron joked.

Silver glared at him, "I say you kick him off the team Harry."

Harry nodded, "You know Ron, tryouts are tomorrow morning, there's still a chance this might affect your chances at making the team."

Ron seemed a bit put off at this, and he instantly grew serious. "You're not serious are you mate? I was only joking, you know that don't you Silver.."

Silver breathed heavily, "I'm actually rather hurt Ron, I'm not quite sure how I'm handling this."

Ron looked panicked, "No, no. it was a joke, really! I'm sorry!"

Silver could no longer fizzle her laughter and broke into a fit of giggles, Hermione quickly joining. Harry tried his hardest to remain loyal through this, and not laugh at his best friend's expense. Ron looked at him for answers, and the best Harry could do was pat him on the back.

"Girls," He sighed, "you'll never understand them."

Ron, rather put off, quickly changed the subject. "Have you talked to Hagrid, Harry?" feigning disinterest in the way Hermione held her hand up to her lips when she laughed.

"No." Harry suddenly grew serious, "I hate not talking to him."

"Would you rather tell him how much we hated his class?"

"You didn't like it?" Silver prompted, shutting up when Ron looked at her with a displeased look about him.

"We can go after Quidditch tomorrow. That way we've got nothing else to worry about." Harry assured him, "If we've got time, that is. Have you seen the list for the trials? I think the entire Gryffindor house has applied."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, disapprovingly shaking her head.

"What's the matter with you?" Ron asked incredulously.

She ignored him, looking at Harry. "You know very well why that list is so long, Harry." She raised her eyebrows, looking at the boys expectantly, but facing disappointment. They never caught on to anything, why was this any different, after all? "They all want to be a part of _your_ team. You've realized how popular you've gotten haven't you? Quite frankly, it isn't just pure coincidence that you've had girls gaggling all over you."

Harry turned crimson, rather unsure of what to do with the information at hand. On the other hand, Silver was quite bemused with the manner he was handling this. She had never seen Harry so embarrassed. Ron, on the other hand, kept staring at Hermione without mercy; not even having noticed that a piece of his masticated food had fallen straight out of his mouth.

"You were right about Voldermort." She pointed out, " and you've managed to fight him off, _twice, _and you're being referred to as 'the Chosen One'. Honestly, you've never been more interesting, Harry."

Silver didn't think it was possible, but indeed, Harry did phase into a deeper shade of red. She noticed Ron was also turning a bit red, but she guessed it was probably for his own reasons and not for the sake of his best friend.

"And it certainly doesn't hurt that you've been able to tame your hair a bit, and have grown over the summer."

"I've grown too." Said Ron, finally dismembering the stupid look on his face.

Hermione had noticed the change in Ron, she just hated pointing it out – whether it was aloud, or to herself. He was already tall, but the summer had provided him with another inch or so. His thin figure had become broader, his shoulders were significantly stronger from all the Quidditch he had played, and his face wasn't as baby-like as it was last year. He still held a child-like wonder in his eyes, and his cheeks were still rounded, but the rest of his face was well defined and robust. Sometimes, she brought herself to thoughts of him and his new amenities but she pushed them away just as fast.

"Yes, Ron. And I congratulate you for that." Silver said, responding in Hermione's place when it was clear she had no intentions to do so herself. "Harry." She directed her attention towards her brother, "You never told me, about the train, do you remember?"

It took Harry a moment to realize what she was talking about, "The train?"

"On the first day." She said impatiently, "When you came out with a bloody nose."

Harry marshaled his thoughts around, wondering whether he should say anything or not. Until he finally realized, that it was due time. She _had_ to know the truth, it would be unfair to keep her in the dark for so long. And this way, she would be prompted to get shot of Draco sooner rather than later.

"I stayed behind in one of the carriages after the lot of you left.."

"I know, I saw you walking towards the back." She interrupted.

"Yeah, and, I put my invisibility cloak on…to sort of, eavesdrop in Malfoy's conversation."

Silver sighed, already disliking the direction this story was headed but urged Harry to continue, trying her hardest to masquerade her discontent. "Why did you want to spy on him then?"

Harry noticed how she used the word spying, proving that Silver wasn't doing as well as she would've liked in the masquerading part. "_Because_, Silver, I have reason to believe that Malfoy-"

"That Malfoy discovered Harry, and that's why he paralyzed him, and kicked him straight in the nose. The end." Hermione quickly cut in, speaking so fast, she slurred her words in a manner that was very unlike her.

Harry's eyes darted to Hermione, annoyed with her interruption, and then back at Silver, who seemed to be considering this very thoughtfully.

"I can't believe him." She finally said, shaking her head gently, "He's still at it then is he? He wont just, put it to rest." She murmured.

The three friends did nothing else but avoid her gaze. "Harry, I honestly don't know what to say. I, admittedly, haven't the slightest idea of what's going on with Draco. And I try to get him to talk to me, believe me I do.." She said feebly.

After a few moments, Silver excused herself; she was feeling a bit tired, was her excuse. And once she'd left Hermione leaned in closer from across the boys in secrecy after noting Harry's irritation.

"I know you wanted to tell her, but I couldn't let you." She said sternly, much like a mother would, "Honestly Harry, what's gotten into you? You don't have any _proof_ that Malfoy is what you claim he is. You can't go around gallivanting to everyone about what you think may or may not be true." She narrowed her eyes, "Espeically not Silver!"

Harry glowered at her, "I disagree Hermione. I think Silver is the _first_ who should know about what's he's really been up to. You heard her, she's noticed he's acting strangely. It makes sense, it all leads to it." He turned to Ron for his support.

"I don't know." He frowned, feeling uncomfortable.

Harry obviously wasn't thrilled with Ron's answer.

"Have you talked to her about your meetings with Dumbledore?" Hermione decided to ask boldly, clearly aware of the irritation her friend felt towards her presently.

Harry shook his head, "No. Dumbledore and I agreed that it's better if we leave her out of it." his voice grew solemn, "If she knew of it, I have no doubt in my mind that she would feel responsible to help..and she isn't."

Ron, still saddened by the lack of attention Hermione was offering him, nodded in agreement. "Your right mate. She probably would…and if anyone could help you, it would probably be us out of anyone else.."

"It's not because of that," Harry interrupted, "this is just something I've got to do completely on my own. I've got to figure it out, _alone_."

Hermione pressed her lips into a straight line, unhappy with his choice of words. Her brown eyes meandered over to Ron's, who was looking at her as well, and then back down to the table at her nearly empty plate.

On her way out of the Great Hall, Silver slowly paced herself, purposely searching for a distinctly blonde head. She gently strung her fingers in the tips of her long hair, twirling it unconsciously. She tilted her head as she turned a tight corner, satisfactorily gleaming at the sight ahead. It was Draco's way of reassuring her he was still there. He would wait for her on the third floor corridor, a route she often took to get to Ravenclaw tower. She crept up behind him, about to snake her hands around his waist, until Harry's words crept back into her mind. She was on the precipice of quietly turning around and skipping their habitual meetings when she accidently stepped on a candlestick that had fallen on the floor. Draco twisted his head as far back as he could, and smirked at the sight of her.

"I have to talk to you about something Draco."

"Can't it wait?" he suddenly said, taking her hand and intertwining it within his. "Follow me."

"To where? It's nearly curfew." Silver whispered as she let herself be lead by the blonde.

Draco threw a furtive glance at her, "Curfew? Really? I didn't know you had a bedtime."

"It's just as much your curfew as it is mine."

"No it isn't." he argued.

"Oh and why is that?" She challenged him, as they fell into a slower pace after a strenuous ascension to the seventh floor.

For a moment, he took on a more serious tone. "Let's just say that, one of Filch's detentions is the last thing on my mind."

She instantly felt a tug on her stomach, feeling a tad annoyed with his nonchalant secrecy. She said nothing until he broke the silence as they neared a large ornate tapestry of dancing trolls that she knew very well. It was the very same place she had shared with Harry and the rest of the D.A. last year.

"Here." He mumbled, approaching the wall opposite to the draping tapestry..

"Why did you bring me to the room of requirements?" Silver questioned suspiciously.

"I would assume you of all people should know what it's good for." he referred to the secret society's private lessons, "It's a place to go to when in need. And after mulling it over, I thought we'd give it a try…I've been trying to find a way to see you, and well…I thought this would work."

Silver smiled, feeling her heart flutter as if it were to fly away.

And although his words were true, he had underlying intentions as well. "Now, how do you get in?"

-

"I'll meet you back there in a few, go on ahead." Harry called out to Ron behind him, advising him to head towards the common room instead of following him. He needed some time to think before the practices tomorrow, some place away from the busybody student life of Hogwarts. A private oasis where he could collect his thoughts and possibly organize his new duties as captain, and he knew just the place. He discretely avoided professors, knowing very well he should be in his common room. He skipped two steps at once, trying to make the trip just a fraction of the length shorter. Finally, he'd reached the broad corridor that lead straight past a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, but what he found made him wish he hadn't travelled through there.

He caught sight of an all too-familiar Malfoy, his pale hand weaved into the smaller fingers of another. Her unmistakable long black hair fell to the middle of her back, her green eyes were large with fear as they met his. Draco seemed to have finally noticed what Silver was bothered about when his icy cold stare met Harrys. Draco was tempted to say something, sneer at the eavesdropping git just as he deserved. And he would've too, if it weren't for the girl beside him.

"What are you doing?" Harry snapped, his voice echoing the barren corridor.

Silver continued to stare at him, her mind racing for answers. Her hand slipped from Draco's grip. "I can explain."

"There really isn't anything to explain, I reckon you've already said enough." He stood in his place, his stance exuded rage, his fists were clenched at his sides and his wand at the ready. "It's true then is it? Hermione was right wasn't she?"

A small crease formed between her eyebrows."Hermione?"

Harry narrowed his eyes, choosing to ignore the question. "I can't believe you… and after everything he's done! You're here _with him_!"

"What have I _done _Potter? Picked at you and your little friends? It's not my fault you're overly emotional." Malfoy struck back, mirroring a similar posture to Harrys, only his wand was back at the trunk, under his bed.

"Come off it, you know exactly what you've done.. what you are!" Harry accused, a dangerous edge to his voice.

Silver could've sworn she saw Draco's face lose all trace of color. He stood with hesitation for a moment. "Looks like there's more you're dying to say Potter. Come on, get on with it then."

Harry's breathed deeply several times, in an effort to steady his anger. "I've got plenty to say Malfoy. But all will reveal itself eventually and you'll be locked up in Azkaban, just like your _father_."

Silver gasped, suddenly growing aware of Draco lunging towards Harry and running towards him. She wasn't quick enough, and just before she reached them, Draco had jabbed Harry in the face and he had retaliated by striking him square in the chest with _levicorpus_.

"No!" Silver screamed throatily, restraining surfacing tears. Draco was dangling upside down and Harry was on the floor with a hand clenched to his face. Luckily, this was a spell Silver was familiar with. She had learned of it after Luna had impressed the lot with it at one of the D.A. meetings. She stated the counter-jinx immediately, rushing to Draco's side once he landed hard on the floor. He seemed pained at first, but revenge clouded the ache in his back. "Too much of a spoiled baby to fight fair and put the wand away Potty?" his voice was strained.

Harry pointed his wand out in front of him again, "Yes, that's exactly what I am. Ready for another go?"

And before another word could be said, Silver hastily shuffled to stand between the boys, who were both struggling on the ground. "Stop it!" She didn't allow herself the liberty to show weakness with tears. "You're both acting like children! Disperse or I'll tell Filch myself, about the two of you fighting in the corridors after curfew."

Neither of them were particularly affected by her warning. And almost as if she had foreshadowed it, a figure walked into the corridor, taking the form of Professor McGonagall. Her wrinkled face was severe and cold. She approached the three of them, as Draco and Harry hastily got to their feet.

"What is going on over here? I could hear your voices from my office." Her eyes fell on their disheveled figures, "Dare I ask _why_ the three of you are to be found out of your common rooms?" she asked sternly, eyeing their disheveled states.

She received nothing but looks of apprehension from them.

"Potter?" she looked at Harry, hesitantly realizing Silver was Potter as well.

"Malfoy was up here and he attacked me." Harry said quite plainly.

Draco's face twisted, "I only punched him. He used a jinx on me!"

McGonagall swallowed hard. "To my office, the _three_ of you." She gestured for them to walk in front of her when Draco spoke, "She has nothing to do with it Professor." He looked at Silver, "She only spotted us up here and tried to stop it."

McGongall seemed to be taken aback with Malfoys gallant actions. He wasn't particularly known for being so, selfless. "Very well then, I appreciate your honesty Mr. Malfoy. Ms. Potter, please retire to your common room."

Silver exchanged a questioning look with Draco, who only spared her a furtive glance from the corner of his eye. She nodded, and turned around. As she travelled nearer to her destination, she found it harder to breathe evenly, her breaths were now shot and heavy. She felt as if a ball had formed in her throat, and not before long she felt her eyes dampen and her cheeks wet. How was it possible to both loathe and love someone so fervently?

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**A/N: Well then, that fight can certainly be problematic.**

**I just wanted to point out when Draco asks Silver to help him open the room of requirements and how he's not being completely honest with her. He needs the room more for his mission than for the reason he says he does, and this is just going to be the beginning of Draco's dark side. Well not dark, but secretive. He still loves her, he's just under a lot of pressure.**

**So I hope you all liked it (: ****I, unfortunately, wont have a preview ready for you guys because I haven't written the next chapter, but I hope that doesn't thwart your reviews!**

**Have a lovely week (:**


	13. Letters from a Friend

**Letters From a Friend**

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"_What goes in the house but never touches the house?"_

Silver could barely keep herself together as she stared helplessly at the bronze knocker before her. "I don't know! Would you just open!" She said in between sobs. Her hand reached out to grope the knocker in an attempt to twist it open or find another way to get in, but it did nothing of the sort. She twisted it again, this time harder to only receive a painful wail from the knocker.

"_Ouch! What'd you do that for?"_ it said, scandalized.

At another time, she would've thought this humorous, but all it did presently was only fuel her weeping.

"Silver? What's wrong?"

She turned around to see Dominic rushing to her and falling to his knees to level with her, as she had given up and had sat on the floor. She only looked at him with her tear-rimmed eyes and runny nose.

"_Would you be so kind as to answer this godforsaken riddle young man?"_

Dominic peered over at the knocker, "What is it?"

"_What goes in the house but never touches the house?"_

Dominic mulled this over as he slowly helped Silver stand, placing a strong arm around her waist. "The sun."

And with that, the door finally opened, revealing the common room. A sight Silver had never been so happy to see. Although, much to her dismay, it was still significantly too early for most to go to their dormitories and so the common room was sparsely filled. Silver breathed in deeply, in an effort to compose herself, and rubbed at her eyes hastily to remove the tears. Dominic pat the area where he held her waist in reassurance and led her upstairs towards the boys dormitories.

Once he'd reached the third bedroom in the corridor, he opened the door and cautiously let Silver in.

"Funny how they don't have any jinxes against girls going into the boys dormitories isn't it?" He laughed, trying to lighten the mood, "it's like they think that boys are the only ones that's got raging hormones at this age."

Silver laughed minutely at this, and then brushed off a stray tear from her cheek. He led her to what seemed to be his bed and sat her down at the edge, as he proceeded to sit beside her.

"Tell me what's wrong, love."

She inhaled a struggled breath. "Draco."

He knowingly nodded his head, "figured that much."

"Him and Harry….they had a row. A really bad one."

Dominic stayed quiet, grabbing her hand in both of his.

"I met Draco in the third floor..you know, like I usually do. And he took me up to the room of requirements, and just before I could show him how to get in." Silver swallowed, "Harry randomly appears!"

Dominic looked agog and was about to speak when she interrupted, "But that isn't the worst part. Before I know it, they're fighting in front of me – and I didn't know what to do to stop them." She put her free hand to her forehead as Dominic squeezed the other tenderly, "And then McGonagall catches us and sends us all to her office, except, Draco tells her to leave me out of it, and…well, she did."

"Well, that was noble wasn't it."

She shrugged, "I don't know. It was actually pretty ordinary, considering, I truthfully _wasn't_ a part of it."

A rogue tear fell from her eye, "But, at the same time, I caused it….because of some underlying instinct they both had, I think. Harry lunged at Draco because he found him with _me._ If it weren't for that…nothing would've happened, and this could've all easily been avoided."

"You _knew_ this was going to happen," Dominic said as softly as he could, "Malfoy and Harry are never going to be civil to each other. It's just always been like that, it's something we're all used to. They've loathed each other since our first year, and that's never going to change."

Silver took a moment to digest this information she already knew. Her hand fell onto the soft fabric in the bed and she let her weight rest on that arm. "I know." Her eyes met his, appreciating the concern he held inside of his brown irises, "Tell me what to do, Dom, I don't know what to do."

"I wish I could, but I think this is something you've got to sort out on your own. Perhaps by..getting shot of both of them, just for a little while."

She couldn't bear the thought, but now, it seemed so tempting. "Maybe."

Dominic smiled in reassurance, "You're brilliant Silver, and if Malfoy can't put his personal problems with Harry aside for _you_, then maybe, he doesn't deserve you." And he bent forward to hug her tightly. She returned the hug, tugging at the material of his gray sweater anxiously. She didn't care whether they deserved each other or not, she couldn't just let him go.

And just before she could mull it over any longer, the door was pushed open, revealing some of the sixth years that shared Dominic's dormitory. Amongst the first was Anthony Goldstein who stood frozen as Silver and Dominic separated. Terry Boot piled in after, nearly knocking Anthony over, and then Ellis Clarke – a boy that was currently seeing Cho Chang.

"Sorry," Silver said innocently, sniffling, "I know you guys want to get off to bed. Bye, Dom."

Their eyes followed her as she slid between Terry and Anthony and out the door.

"Nice." Terry said winking as he sat where Silver previously had and put his hand around Dominic's shoulders. "Finally, after we've told you so many times to make your move."

Dominic, suddenly realizing what was happening, pushed Terry's arm off. "What? No. She was upset about something and she wanted to talk about it."

Anthony only stared back between the pair as Terry smiled suggestively. "So you brought her up to the dormitory? And you had your arms wrapped around her like a bloody eel."

"It's called a hug, Terry."

"It's only a hug, if your strictly friends." Terry added, trying to ploy Anthony into joining him with no success.

"There you go, you just described it perfectly then." Said Dominic with a tinge of annoyance.

"I thought you fancied her last year." Anthony finally spoke, the bitterness in his voice evident, "Don't you remember after all? We had a row when I asked her to the bonfire."

Dominic noticeably paled, sliding his shaggy brown hair off his forehead, "That was only because you kept talking about your chance at getting a good snog from her."

Anthony laughed, "Terry, is that how it went?"

Terry's blue eyes widened, "I think you said you fancied her too Dominic, or no, what was it Anthony? She's bloody gorgeous, was it?"

"Aha, quoted, well done mate."

Dominic stood up, "Shut up will you? That was a long time ago, we're just friends. And honestly, I don't think I owe an explanation to either one of you."

"Don't get so wound up mate,"Ellis said, his frame lolling against the door frame, "I bring Cho up here all the time. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Anthony laughed sourly, "Yeah, I know."

Ellis stood with an evident conceit, "She's the one that asks to come up here after all. I'm not going to say no to the poor girl."

Terry and Anthony smiled appreciatively before they dispersed.

As Silver walked into the common room, she heard a few third years conversing over the fire.

"Yeah, it's that Malfoy git – he's always looking for a brawl." Said a red-headed girl.

"Poor Harry." Said another.

Silver frowned as she walked past them, spotting an empty armchair in a distant corner and made her way to it. She needed the solitude for a bit, but what she needed more was the advice of two distinct people she couldn't find at Hogwarts. And so she snatched a piece of parchment lying on the small end table beside her, and picked up the quill.

She scribbled anything she could think of on the parchment. Everything that had been bothering her, the strange dreams, the woman's voice that would sound unexpectedly during Snape's lectures, and then everything she presently felt for Draco. How she loathed him for not controlling himself and daring to lunge at her brother. How much his newfound mystery bothered her, although he had always been to himself, he would never purposely keep secrets from her. And then, she found herself writing about how much she loved those infrequent moments that made it all worthwhile; those moments where she could again see a Draco that didn't seem to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Have you seen my earrings?"

Silver was so distracted in her writing that she had forgotten where she was. "Er, no, I haven't Luna, sorry."

The blonde frowned, "You see, I lost them what I expect to be two hours ago. I was sitting here, reading the_ Quibbler _and that's when they fell, I expect."

"How do they look like?"

Luna's pale pink lips curved upwards slightly, "They look like radishes."

Silver stared. Oh yes, she knew those earrings well.

"Well, I haven't seen them, but as soon as I do, I'll make sure to let you know."

Luna seemed displeased, "It's alright. I can make another pair. Would you like one?"

"No!... thank you." Silver said quickly as she watched Luna's face fall, "It's that I've already got earrings, you see." She tugged her ear and suddenly remembered who had given them to her.

_A crackling sound erupted from the living room, meaning someone had apparated into the Crouch manor. Although it could hardly be referred to as a manor in comparison to that of the Malfoys._

"_Dad?" A young Silver peered over the wall separating her from the site._

_Barty didn't respond, and instead showed himself. Silver dislodged herself from the wall and stepped a few steps forward, now latching on to the couch._

"_What's that?" She asked in a little voice._

_Barty's young face wrinkled as he looked down at the sack he held. Most of it was letters, letters from fellow Death Eaters, and some were errands from Diagon Alley. An old wizard had approached him on the street there, with a handful of pearl earrings in their own separate casings. He was a street peddler, and had retrieved the pearls himself, after swimming for days. And although he might've been wrong, Barty was quick to assume that the reason he had been swimming for the allotted time was because he had escaped from Azkaban. And with that relation, he assumed that this old peddler was once a servant of the Dark Lord. It might've been a lot to assume for the strangers past, but he did, and consequently bought a pair of earrings from the man._

"_Here, I got you these." He said, not as coldly as he usually addressed her._

_A seven year old Silver approached her father cautiously, and held her hands out. He gave her a small box, and then walked off towards the kitchen, leaving her with what would be one of her fondest memories of him._

She crashed back down to reality when Luna responded, "Oh, well they're very pretty. I'll see you upstairs then?"

"Yeah, Goodnight Luna." She said absentmindedly.

Luna smiled, and then skipped off and up the stairs leading to the girls dormitories. Was it alright for Silver to feel remorse for the way she treated Barty on his last days? He was on the ready to kill her at the Ministry, yes, but she knew that somewhere beneath all that hatred, Barty genuinely held a spot for her – for his _companion_ of so many years.

With sour thoughts, she ended her letter and delicately folded the parchment into a size small enough to fit into the envelope. She took the quill again and elegantly wrote,

_Lucy Albyss  
Rupert Lions  
Salem Witches Institute_

And with the arrival of her friend's letter tomorrow as something she could hardly wait for, she went upstairs, changed, and went to bed.

The next day felt lighter, although it should've been the complete opposite. She hadn't once spoken to neither Harry nor Draco, although she had already had Transfigurations with the both of them but luckily she wasn't forced to sit beside any of them.

When lunch arrived, Silver anxiously awaited the Post, and much to her delight, Hermes swept in gracefully. The letter landed in front of her, and opened it straight away. Silver had arrived a bit earlier to lunch and none of her friends were there yet, but Cho and Marietta were, and they kept shooting furtive glances at her. At first, Silver thought nothing of it, but when the glances were then met with smirks and a bit of whispered gossiping – she realized something was going on.

"Silver! How could you?" Blake marched in and nearly threw her books down on the table in front of Silver.

Silver was rendered speechless. "How could I what? What're you talking about Blake?"

Blake's expression softened just a pinch," You say you've already got a boyfriend, and then I hear _this._"

Once again, Silver had no idea what she was going on about, "Blake, sit down, what's going on?"

Blake obliged stubbornly and leaned across the table, "You and _Dominic?_ Why Dominic?"

"What!"

"Yes! Don't act foolish Silver! Everyone already knows the two of you are going together."

"What!" Silver said louder this time, attracting the attention of a few Ravenclaw's around them, Cho was particularly engrossed.

"Secretly dating." She coughed bitterly, "How long?"

The Great Hall was vacant enough for Blake's voice to have been echoing the entire conversation for everyone to hear. And before she was able to defend herself, her eyes travelled to the Slytherin table, and she lost the ability to breathe. Draco was marching out of the Great Hall. Why, of all students, did _he_ have to be there early too?

"Blake, Dominic and I _aren't_ dating, we _never _have and _never_ will! Why would you even think such a thing?" Silver said breathlessly, still finding it hard to breathe.

"Then what explains the two of you caught snogging in _his_ dormitory last night?" She inquired, lacking the fervor of before.

Silver creased her brows thoughtfully, "I was crying, and the common room was full, so Dominic took me up there." Her fists clenched as mind meandered off to when the boys walked in. "Who told you? Was it Anthony? Or maybe it was Cho who told you after hearing it herself from Ellis." She accused as she spared her a cursory glance, Cho's smirk faded immediately.

Blake looked at Cho, and then at Silver, "Marietta told me." She admitted sheepishly, "And I was thick enough to believe her."

"Yes, you were." Silver said succinctly.

Blake looked positively mortified; she had never felt so terrible in her life. "I'm _so _sorry, I should've – I mean…I was just _hurt._"

"Why were you hurt?"Silver asked curiously.

Blake buried her lips into her hands as she let her elbows fall on the table. "Because I thought the two of you had, well, I thought you had forgotten about me."

Silver pursed her lips, "If anything were going on, which It isn't, you would've been the first to know. And, why does it irk you so much anyhow? You've never been so maniacal about gossip before."

Blake laughed shortly, "I don't know, honestly. I was just a bit jealous is all."

"Jealous of what?" Silver pressed, "About _us_ leaving you out..or because you thought Dominic fancied someone else."

Blake paled, and Silver knew she had found the truth. Blake fancied Dominic, perhaps it had been for a while, and she hadn't even noticed it herself. "I…I'm not sure" she said to herself quietly.

Silver glanced at the doors. Draco had already left, and she hadn't chased after him. And now, she feared, it was too late. She admittedly wasn't very hungry anymore and excused herself, leaving Blake to her thoughts. Silver didn't bother to notice who she would pass in the corridors, and walked past a few acquaintances that said hello as she did. Once she reached the common room, she slumped deeply into an armchair, letting herself drown in the soft cushiony fabric. She groped her robes for the letter she had stowed away and unfolded it from it's envelope.

_Silver,_

_I don't like receiving letters like that from you, it makes me worried. And Rupert too. These dreams your having, they might just be a result of stress. Relax, put everything aside for a little while and just, breathe. _

_And about Draco, if he wants to make it work, he will. Rupert says so, and he's a boy – so it's a legitimate answer. But can you just do me a favor Silly? Please dig deep and find yourself. I know how odd it sounds, but I feel like you're a bit lost. You know the answers to everything are inside of you, you've never needed me to tell you what to do. And you also know very well that I would always run to you for help, if the girl with all the answers, is looking for them..well, there's something wrong then isn't there?_

_Oh, and just in case you've forgotten, here's a quick reminder of the Silver that I have the honor of knowing: She's the smartest person I've ever met, and in many cases the wisest. She's the only person that can make me laugh until I cry, and in many instances make me laugh when I cry. She's the silliest girl on the planet (in a good way, hence her nickname). She's irreplaceable. And she will forever be my best friend (and Rupert's too). _

_I love you. And when I receive your response, I want to be able to pass on the news of how happy you are when Rupert asks me next._

_Love,_

_Lucy_

A smile was playing on Silver's lips, as she laughed in some parts, and cringed in others. Lucy was right, and so was Dominic. She just needed some time to herself is all. She was taking on too much at the same time. Schoolwork was already enough to throw her off the edge, adding Draco's personal problems would tip it even further. Not to mention what would happen if Harry was mixed in there as well. She needed to choose one, but it wasn't possible.

Draco, of course, meant so much to her. After all, he was the family she never had, but now that she _had_ a family – it wasn't fair to ignore him. A part of her selfishly valued Draco more than it valued Harry. For the obvious reason of the history they had. Harry was her brother, that much was true, but she hadn't the chance to form a relationship with him the way she had with Draco. Draco understood her, and she understood him, or so she thought until just recently.

She fell back further into the chair, sighing. She knew what her answer was, and it was a bad one at that. If she had to choose one, if it were a matter of utmost importance that she did, she would choose Draco. But she knew that it wouldn't necessarily be her final answer.

"Hello."

Silver looked above her at the waiting eyes of her younger friend Lucinda and smiled, "Hey Lucinda."

"You seem bothered, are you? You are aren't you, I can tell."

If only she knew how she was only adding more ingredients to the cauldron of her bothered mess. "I am, a bit, yes. What do you have there?"

Lucinda swung her hands in front of her from behind, "A note from that fat professor, Slughorn."

Silver almost smiled at the blatant honesty that formed Lucinda's naivety. "Thank you." she said as the note was handed to her.

"Your welcome." She said, not moving.

Silver studied the folded parchment in her hand and then pried it open. Slughorn wanted to invite her to a meeting of the Slug club, tonight. She exhaled loudly, Silver was hardly in the mood to socialize. Especially with a club he very narcissistically named after himself.

"What is it?" Lucinda beckoned.

Silver shot up a single eyebrow, consequently alarming Lucinda that it was her cue to march off unsatisfied. Which she did.

When classes were done for the day, Silver found herself in the same armchair. She let her body sink into it comftorably as she stared into her nearly finished predictions for Divinations. Being unsocial was particularly helpful when it came to finishing assignments with plenty of time to spare. Although, it was rather boring. But if she wanted to finish her assignments on time for tomorrow, she had to choice but to seclude herself, what with Slughorn's little 'meeting' lurking.

Remembering she was short on time, she peered over at the grandfather clock ahead of her, the large hand spun round and sporadically landed on a picture of Slughorn. With much dismay, she proceeded to collecting her things and putting them back up in her room, running into Lucinda again who began to question her on why she hadn't told her about Dominic. Silver chose not to reply at the moment, leading her to believe there was a greater story than she originally imagined because Lucinda positively beamed.

Upon reaching the corridor to Slughorn's office, Silver could hear the boisterous guffaw's coming from inside. Silver cringed as she opened the door, revealing a round table full of students.

"Ah! Come in, yes, yes. I'm sure you all know Ms. Silver _Potter_." Professor Slughorn sat at the head of the table, laughing as he introduced her to everyone, "You were saying McLaggen?"

Silver scanned the table for a place to sit, purposely avoiding Hermione's eyes after she had noticed her. She remembered what Harry had mentioned last night, about the piece of information Hermione had decided to dispatch without her authorization. If there was one thing that made the very top of her list of peeves, it was a big mouth. She could feel Hermione anxiously staring at her, waiting for her to catch her line of sight.

"Silver!" Ginny's head popped from the side of the seat facing Silver backwards.

Silver took a seat besides Ginny, finding it a bit odd she wasn't sitting with Hermione, but pleased nonetheless.

"What's this surfacing about you and your friend Dates?" She asked skeptically. At least she was intelligent enough to not believe everything feeding the rumor mill.

"It's a stupid rumor is all," Silver shrugged, "And almost positive that Anthony Goldstein has his beady hands all over it."

"Why do you reckon him?"

Silver told her about the events spiraling to Dominic and her being caught in the middle of a hug. But suddenly Dominic's relationship status didn't seem to be of much importance anymore to Ginny.

"Your joking aren't you? Malfoy and Harry? Are they alright?"

"I don't know. Draco's alright I think, I saw him earlier in the dining hall."

"There didn't seem to be anything off with Harry at Quidditch tryouts. He was a wreck, but I thought it had to do with his first tryout as captain."

"How'd it go by the way? Did you make it?"

Ginny smiled, "It isn't a sure thing, but I smoked them."

Silver let out a small laugh, "So you're on the team then?"

"Hope so. I mean, the list comes up after all the houses have finished their tryouts."

"I suppose it'll be posted between tomorrow and Saturday. Ravenclaw's the last one to go."

"Have you practiced?" Ginny asked with an amused smirk on her freckled face.

Silver narrowed her eyes at her playfully, "We both know I haven't got the slightest chance of making the team."

"And something tells me you aren't particularly distraught about it either."

Slughorn stood from his seat to give the room a few bracing words, lifting his glass in a toast to something about superiority or the sort. Everyone around the table struggled for Slughorn's attention, each trying to tell a story more interesting than the last, except for Ginny and Silver.

"I still can't believe what happened." Ginny said, suddenly serious, "It's like Harry to do that, defend you I suppose, he's very righteous that way." Her lips upturned a bit, "He saved me once, you know, a few years ago. I would've probably died if he hadn't."

Silver smiled at the way Ginny seemed to have separated herself from reality for a moment as she recounted the tale of when the chamber was opened.

"That is rather valiant isn't it?" Silver smiled.

"He only has your best interests at heart, really, although sometimes he's too stubborn to remember the reason he's doing it is, in fact, for _you_. As much as he's trying to tell you Malfoy's bad for you, which obviously he is, he's gone about it completely wrong."

"I have to agree with Ginny." Hermione maneuvered her way to sit beside Ginny in the table as she asked Cormac McLaggen to switch seats with her, which he so gladly obliged to.

Silver felt her blood boil. She was already miffed about Hermione's loyalty, or lack thereof, she wasn't going to sit and listen to her preach.

"I can't believe you told him Hermione." Silver accused. Ginny didn't seem surprised at all as she said it, quite the opposite, a bit of relief washed her face for the idea that Silver was able to discover what she had done. Quite an opposite reaction to Hermione who seemingly wished the floor would engulf her.

"Silver, I didn't mean to." She said sheepishly.

"But you did, and now look at what's happened."

Hermione's cheeks flushed, "I'll talk to him – "

"No, it's alright, I think you've done enough of that."

Hermiones face fell as Silver continued, "I told you in complete secrecy. If I had known you'd go behind my back to tell him, I would've done it myself instead."

Ginny only stood between them, secretly agreeing with Silver, but not wanting to stir any problems with Hermione.

"I don't think we've been formerly introduced." Said a voice, who clearly hadn't been sharp enough to sense the tension hanging around the trio. The voice was followed by a large, pale hand extended in front of Silvers face. "I'm McLaggen, Cormac McLaggen."

Silver looked up at him in annoyance. Could this boy possibly be so thick? But any bad thoughts that probed her were soon diminished with one look at him. He was a tall burly boy with broad shoulders and a thick head of blonde hair. Silver couldn't help but admire the sight before her and without her knowing, drew her hand to take his. He shook it as he glanced down at her with a pearly smile.

Silver introduced herself feebly, and watched as he said hello to Ginny. When he reached Hermione, he winked one of his cerulean blue eyes at her, and brought her hand up to his lips.

Normally, a girl would blush and drown in flattery of knowing this very attractive boy had noticed her. So when Silver saw Hermione seemed to be everything other than flattered, she found it quite peculiar. But she wouldn't dare raise the subject now, it wasn't appropriate. Especially since she was particularly upset with her.

"Where's Harry?" Silver asked suddenly.

Hermione looked startled, "He must be in the common room I suppose. Why?"

Silver directed her attention to Ginny. "Can you take me inside?"

Ginny nodded, sparing Hermione a cursory glance before she stood and lead her outside the door. It slammed shut behind them and almost instantly, swung open again.

"Silver how long are you going to be upset? I'm sorry! I'll fix it, I promise!" She pleaded as she followed closely behind the pair, "He was only trying to protect you from Voldermort."

Hermione's lips shut into a straight line. She shouldn't have said that.

"What?" Silver turned to face her, "How does _he_ even have anything to do with this?" she breathed.

Hermione exhaled loudly, "Let Harry tell you. He wanted to, last night, but I didn't let him."

Ginny muttered the password at the door as the fat lady unwillingly swung open, examining Silver curiously. "She is not a Gryffindor." She said, but it was merely an echo since Ginny had already swung the portrait completely open.

The Gryffindor common room was decorated in burgundy and gold, much like the Silver's common room was blue and bronze. Tapestries hung from the ceilings delicately framing the majority of the room. Unlike the Ravenclaw's, Silver noted, Gryffindor didn't have the spectacular view she did. Windows were sparsely placed all along the wall papered walls, and the outside seemed to be overwhelmed with trees. The window nearest to her was even scratched by one as the wind blew, causing an eerie sound.

Dean Thomas stared at Ginny as she entered, "Hey Gin, come over here."

Ginny didn't seem very excited to see him, "Maybe later."

It wasn't long until Ginny spotted her brother's red hair from a corner of the common room where, as she had expected, he sat with Harry analyzing a parchment before them.

"Hey you two." Ginny said.

They were about to respond when Harry laid his eyes on Silver.

"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly.

"I want to listen to what you have to say."

"Malfoy had it coming. Happy?"

Silver reacted to her brother's snarky mood with even greater fervor. When thrown the opportunity, Silver had the tendency to be as standoffish as Draco could ever be.

"I won't be until you tell me what's going on. What does Draco have to do with Voldermort?" She said sternly, noting the hesitant look upon Harry's face. His eyes darted over to Hermione, and then to Ron, who seemed to be too nervous to look at either of them.

"Draco's a deatheater."

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**A/N: Sorry! I know this update is long overdue.  
I've been so wrapped up with school and what not, but I made it a really long chapter to make up for my lateness (:**

**Thank you so much for your reviews (:  
Although, it'd be nice to get a little more this time around? _You know you want to._  
And that was not my feeble attempt at subliminal messaging in the slightest.**


	14. Avoid by all Means

**Avoid by all Means**

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She couldn't. She simply couldn't fathom how this had turned out to be the worst week of her _life._ Why her usually strong skin had been broken and vulnerably exposed so many times in such a short period of time. She was rendered speechless, not even had a thought managed to pass her mind. Her expression was blank and lacking all emotion.

Harry looked regretful for a moment, cupping his hands over his mouth and sighing. Hermione stood with her back erect and stiff. Ron only looked at the floor.

"Harry, how do you know this?" Ginny sliced through the silence as she draped her arm over Silver's shoulders reassuringly.

"I heard him talking something about it. About how he wasn't going to be back next year, how he wouldn't need school anymore."

Silver's mind meandered off to the day Draco had told her the same thing, about school not being important.

"He was talking about Voldermort, and greater things that awaited him."

"That doesn't exactly mean that he's a death eater Harry." Ginny said reproachfully, "It could be.." Ginny mulled it over, but admittedly found nothing she could relate it to.

"He said that he had a job to do, a job he received by Voldermot himself." Harry snapped back.

Silver remained quiet during the exchange, not even sparing the lot a cursory glance, when suddenly, she decided she couldn't sit there anymore. She couldn't listen to all of this.

"I've got to go, I've got…I've got Quidditch practice in the morning." She said breathlessly, her lungs suddenly incapable of releasing oxygen.

"Silver, stay, it's all just a theory he has!" Hermione called out after her, getting to her feet as she watched Silver continue to march forward and exit the common room.

Her heart was practically pounding in her ears, she couldn't even hear herself think.

"_He's seeking revenge on Lucius, Voldermort's chosen him to seek his revenge on _my _husband."_

Silver jerked her head around a bit too quickly, causing her body to hurl around and nearly lose it's balance.

"Who's there?" She whispered hoarsely, tears stinging at her eyes.

No answer.

She continued walking forward, blinking away the watery nuisances, until she heard it again but this time, it came with an image. It was just like her dream, a dark, dreary room she was certain she didn't recognize. Within the threshold, stood three figures, the same as before, which she had already identified as Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Snape. Or she could be wrong. Except for Narcissa, that message reassured her that she was certain it was Narcissa speaking. Lucius had but just one wife,that she was aware of at least.

Her vision completely clouded, brining her just to that room, and then it disappeared, and she was once again in the dimly lit corridors of Hogwarts. Her heart began to race even faster now. Was she mad? Was she having visions or hallucinations?

She couldn't breathe now, at all. She was nearly gasping for breaths and she stopped to calm herself. She landed against a wooden wall, throwing her hands out in front of her and focused her attention on the creases embedded within the panels. It wasn't working. She tried harder, shutting her eyes this time and focusing on just, breathing. She'd learned this in a meditation class back at Salem. 'Focus on your breath entering your nose, and exiting via your mouth' a professor of her once said before a levitation lesson. The class was finding it exceedingly hard imaging themselves light and weightless, finding it nearly impossible. Until the professor pulled out this nifty trick of hers, and as expected, the class was able to levitate.

Only now, she wished she could not only levitate, but apparate herself back to Salem. Harry didn't exist when she was there, and Draco was just a faint memory of her forgotten past. It was better that way, having them both at a safe distance. Her meddling between the both of them was over, she decided. She would no longer be involved with either of them. She preferred to deal with the hurt of not seeing them, than with the pain of finding out the truth.

..

"Wake up, love." Blake's voice rung through Silver's ear as she lifted a heavy eyelid slightly to only have it shut again against the harsh light of the freshly risen sun. "You've got tryouts remember?"

Silver fought through the darkness of her closed lids, somewhat thankful that Blake had woken her. Her nightmares hardly let her sleep. Between visions of Harry and Draco quarreling and Narcissa's voice in her head, she was quite glad to get shot of them.

"What time is it?" Silver said groggily, rifling against her pillows.

"Crack of dawn." Blake said softly, careful not to wake the others, "Actually fifteen after, but your still rather early, I think. I saw Dominic running down the stairs a few minutes ago. "

Silver grudgingly shoved her warm blankets off, proceeding to make her way down to her trunk to pick out something suitable to wear for a Quidditch tryout, or whatever it was. She followed Blake to the kitchen, who was kind enough to escort her to the field, with her intentions being to make sure Silver wouldn't back down on her promise of course, and grabbed a slice of toast and a swig of juice.

"I'm not going anywhere, would you loosen your grip on me Blake?" Silver said, in an annoyed tone Blake had never heard, and shoved her off.

Blake froze in place, letting Silver walk ahead of her, "What's the matter, Silver?" She said loudly.

Silver turned around, "We're going to be late."

"I'm not moving until you tell me what's wrong." Blake said firmly.

"Fine." Silver shrugged dismissively, "Fortunate you aren't trying out then." And as casually as she could render, continued to leisurely walk down the vast expanse of grass leading to the pitch.

Blake stood, agog. Had Silver just snapped at her? She was completely thrown off by the way her friend was acting and demanded an explanation. Although it was a bit difficult to do so considering Silver had already run into the pitch.

When Silver walked into the field, there was a large number of Ravenclaws already warming up, racing their brooms around and throwing quaffles (or whatever it was they were called) at each other. She recognized a few faces, but the clearest of them all were yet to come. Anthony and Terry stood side by side, deeply engulfed in their conversation as Cho stood in the middle of a gaggle of girls who seemed to have a serious case of the giggles. Silver evaded them purposely, knowing that if Anthony were to approach her, she would probably eat him. Literally, eat him.

"Oy!" Came a voice from in front of her before Savannah's modelesque figure came into view. Her long, silky blonde hair shone radiantly in the sunshine as she trotted to her gracefully.

"Hey Savannah." Silver smiled, thankful she had nothing to be upset about with her.

"What have you been up to? I haven't seen you around much." She pouted, groping her hair over her head and securing it into a high ponytail.

Silver wanted to tell her everything, get yet another opinion on the matter, but she felt as if that were too heavy of a topic for small talk. "Oh, just, so much homework – and I've got five classes."

"Five?" Savannah said with a hint of outrage, "I couldn't even handle the three that I had, can't imagine five."

Silver laughed dryly, "Yeah, it's quite a challenge."

"And well, I suppose having a boyfriend," Her eyes trailed off towards the most vacant part of the grassy lot to Dominic, who was preoccupied pacing back and forth, "It's hard to balance, trust me – "

"I'm not dating Dominic!" Silver snapped, suddenly feeling rueful for yelling at poor Savannah.

She looked taken aback, "But I heard from –"

"Anthony and Terry right?"

The blonde bit her lip, "Yeah."

"Tust _me_, it isn't true."

Savannah nodded, feeling uncomfortable for bringing it up and pretended to look ahead of her, at the stands that would be filled with screaming students and teachers during a game."So you're alone then?"

Silver was about to say, "No, Draco and I have been together for nearly five months now" but what she really said was completely the opposite, "Yeah, I'm alone."

Savannah shrugged dismissively, "That's alright, being single." She eyed Terry who was standing a few feet away, "I can't wait 'til I graduate so I can finally chuck Terry."

Silver widened her eyes, "What?"

Again she shrugged, "It's just that, I feel like there's so much more out there for me. And don't get me wrong, I love Terry, really I do, but he's just holding me back. You understand don't you?"

"Completely." Silver lied, in fact, she had no idea what Savannah was talking about. When she was with Draco, she never felt that way.

Savannah smiled brightly, "I knew you would. You wont say anything would you love?"

"Not a word." Silver reassured her.

"Thanks."

"Right, is everyone here?" Dominic tried to sound leader-like. "Are we ready to begin?"

After receiving a few nods, he clapped his hands together and gave them a quick rub. "Right then. Seekers first. Cho, would you?"

And under Dominic's direction, Cho flew up into the air darting after the little golden sphere. She was quite good, Silver admitted. She was surely going faster than she could ever imagine, her turns were tight, and after a few minutes she was able to land back on earth with the snitch in her grasp.

"Well done, well done!" Dominic applauded along with a few others, giving her a quick pat on the back. He called the next name and they did the same, not as fast as Cho, but it was still brilliant. After him, the lineup for the keepers began, then the beaters, until finally Silver was up against Anthony, two other girls she didn't recognize, and Savannah for chaser.

She carefully examined each of their every moves when they were up in the air. Making sure to spot their mistakes and avoid them herself. After a bit, she was quite confident in her abilities, that is, until it was her turn.

"_Mum says we can't touch that." A young Draco said as he strolled round the garden alongside Silver._

"_I've seen my dad ride it." She said knowledgeably at the broom rifled against a wall, "I bet I can too."_

_Draco eyed her suspiciously, raising a brow in the process, "And what makes you think that?"_

"_Because I can do anything." Silver said, pushing her hair out of her face._

"_Well then, if you can do anything, why don't you try it?" He said daringly, "Go on, grab it."_

_Silver looked at the broom with cautious eyes, "Don't feel like it." _

"_Blimey, you aren't scared are you?" said Draco as he approached the room with a confident stride, a talent he possessed even at the age of ten._

"_I didn't say that. I just don't want to make your mum cross, is all." Silver apprehensively crossed her arms over her chest, still looking at him._

_Draco grabbed a hold of the broom, swung his leg over, and firmly gripped the top end, "Get on."_

"_What! No!" Silver said, scandalized, frantically looking around her to make sure no one had spotted them._

"_Don't you trust me enough to know I wont let anything happen to you?" He smirked, outstretching his pale hand. And without another thought, Silver grabbed a hold of his waist and mounted the broom._

Unfortunately, that particular memory was patronizing her brain at the very moment she let her feet float off the ground.

"Heads up!" Yelled one of the girls, as she hurled the quaffle in Silver's direction. Lacking all prepeartion, she shut her eyes and stretched her arms out in front of her, hoping for the best. When she felt the ball miraculously land in place, she squeezed it and raced forward, dodging everyone who tried to block her.

She examined the goal, Anthony was guarding it. In a sudden, dumb surge of rage, she threw the ball with all her might. But not around him to make it through the goal, instead it hit Anthony square in the chest.

"Ow!"

"Foul!" Dominic's throaty voice was heard from below, but Silver didn't mind the penalty at all. She actually felt quite pleased with herself at the sight of Anthony clenching on to his stomach.

The game continued, as Anthony begrudgingly began to question his position as the temporary keeper. Silver didn't push much effort into the rest of it. Her mind was elsewhere.

"You didn't give it you all, I _know _you didn't!" Dominic exclaimed as Silver landed on the ground beside him after her trial.

"Sorry, I'm a bit disconcerted Dom…" she said as she dismounted her broomstick, "And either way, I'm not very good."

"I'm sure you are. You've got potential." He said quickly as he moved in front of her, "I don't want a team full of bloody gits that are just going to question everything I say. I need people I can trust."

Silver only looked at him, measuring how uncomfortably close he was standing. She had never really noticed what a pretty shade of chocolate his eyes were, they complimented the shag he called hair quite nicely.

"Listen." He said suddenly, "I'm sorry about what's been going on, you know, about …._us_."

Silver swallowed, hard. "Nevermind that, as long as we know it isn't true, it doesn't matter." She backtracked to the Draco marching out of the dining hall, clearly unaware that the whole thing was simply a false rumor.

Dominic looked a bit dismayed, "Right. It isn't, true, that is."

She examined him closely, noticing the slight shadow of a frown before he smiled, "Well then, I've got some captain duties to fulfill. I'll see you later then?"

"See you." Silver smiled, and for some instinctive reason, hugged him quickly before she left.

Draco Malfoy paced wildly around the marble floor of the third floor corridor he would usually find Silver, seeing as it was the route she would take to get to and from the Great Hall. But breakfast was nearly over and he had seen everyone _but_ her. A few Ravenclaw girls stared at him strangely, as did a few stray Gryffindors. His frame lolled against the wall as he kept a meticulous watch whenever footsteps were heard rounding the corner.

He knew it had to be lie. She couldn't be dating Dominic Dates. It was ridiculous. He loved her, and she loved him – and she wouldn't leave him without notice. She wasn't like that, he convinced himself. But these thoughts only caused his agitation to rise. He _needed_ her. His throat began to tighten. She was the only thing keeping him in one piece, although he barely had the time to see her.

He was fixed on the concept that it was all his fault and that he had brought this all upon himself. How did he get so entangled in this _mess?_ Draco Malfoy has become a deatheater at the mere age of sixteen. He wasn't ready for this, for any of it. He didn't _want_ any of it! His heart was racing now, so fast he could feel himself clutching at the fabric of his black robes. He had DADA with her this morning, and he couldn't go in there without speaking to her personally first. And almost as a it were a sign, Luna Lovegood came skipping by, wearing a completely insane lion on her head as a hat.

Despite the circumstances, Draco did the unthinkable.

"Looney – I mean Lovegood." He said in a harsh whisper.

Suddenly alert, she turned her head in his direction. "Hello Draco."

He dismissed the way she used his first name, "Have you seen Silver?"

Luna pondered for a moment, then looked up at him with big blue eyes, "Quidditch Tryouts." After noting the skeptical look on his face she continued, "Dominic is the new captain, and he's asked her to try out. He's a good friend of ours you know.."

The mentioning of his name made Draco's blood boil. "Right. _Friend_." He said before he hastily stomped off leaving Luna slightly confused. She shrugged to herself dismissively, as if nothing had happened. But she knew she should alert Silver. She would probably be interested in knowing Draco was asking for her. Luna daintily skipped through the corridors, and the reason she did this was for obvious reasons; she didn't want to give the wackspurts enough time to invade her mind.

She pulled open the heavy doors of the dining hall and after careful observation, her eyes landed on Blake sitting beside a head glued to the table, whom she assumed would be Silver.

"Morning." Blake said cheerily as she took a big wad of butter to spread on her toast, but it fell almost instantly upon noticing a lion's face perched atop her head.

"Hello you two." Luna smiled dreamily, "Tired?"

"That's hardly the word to describe it." Silver's muffled voice came from against the table.

"More like, completely flustered." Blake said sadly, "But she wont tell me why."

"Draco asked for you." Luna said, as she squatted down to take a seat.

Silver's head flew upwards, "What? When?"

"Just now."

"What did he want?" She demanded.

Luna stared back from Blake to Silver. "He wanted to know where you were is all. You haven't seen him lately?"

Silver let her cheek rest against her hand, "Not exactly."

Blake seemed alert at the mentioning of this, "What d'you mean? It isn't because of Dominic is it?"

"Partially, I'm sure." Silver smiled sadly, "I haven't exactly explained to him that it was all false, so I'm sure he thinks it's true."

"I think he knows better than to believe it." Luna said insightfully.

Silver shrugged, "I hope so."

"Is that why you were so snappy with me..earlier?"

Silver felt sick, "I'm sorry, Blake. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm horrid, really."

"Only sometimes." Said Blake playfully, "You've class with him today, don't you?"

Now, she felt nauseated, "Yes, I do." And exactly at that moment, her eyes wandered off to the door and towards Draco entering the threshold.

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**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I know, it's awful. But I'm going to be honest with you guys, I've been having a serious case of writer's block :\  
Does anyone have any suggestions to offer me on how to get rid of it?  
I mean, i've been able to get some writing done, but I'm not thrilled about it.**

**So any remedies will be a great help, and your reviews should do the trick as well (:**


	15. Love Triangles

_The last time we talked_, t_he night that I walked_  
_Burns like a light_ i_n the back of my mind__  
-Daughtry _

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**Love Triangles**

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She couldn't help but stare at him. And the way he looked at her made her feel the compulsion to talk to him, that is, until Harry's words entered her mind.

"_Draco's a deatheater."_

She jerked her head forward to Luna, who was looking at her with knowing eyes. "Aren't you going to talk to him?"

Silver fidgeted in her seat before she mumbled, "I can't."

She didn't want to ask him whether it was true. She quite frankly didn't want to know! That would ruin them forever. A Deatheater doesn't have a heart, or a soul for that matter, and with that being said – she can not pursue a relationship with one. Her heart felt heavy as she forced herself to eat a bit of breakfast to digress the conversation.

"The results are up!" She could hear Ron's voice tear through the rest of the voices from across the hall, "The Quidditch team's have been posted on the bulletin board!" he said excitedly at his table.

The announcement caused quite a stir amongst the different houses, and a few from each table excitedly rose off their seats and anxiously exited the dining hall nearly knocking Dominic over, who was coming from the opposite direction. He was still in his Quidditch robes as he took a confident stride over to sit beside Blake.

"You didn't make the team, in case you were wondering." He said when he saw Silver, "But you are second string, you know, just in case a Chaser can't play for some reason."

Silver tried extra hard to disguise her relief; There was no way she could handle Quidditch on top of everything else. "It's alright, I'm sure you made excellent choices."

He shrugged with false humility, "Hope so." He took a quick look at Blake and smiled, then directed his attention elsewhere, "Luna, what's on your head?" His face twisted oddly.

"What?" She asked, inconspicuously following Dominic's finger to her head. "Oh, this." She pat the lion's mane which was now entangled with her own hair, "I just made it, do you like it?"

"Its…lovely." He said ambiguously.

Silver nearly bent over laughing, disguising it by making it seem as if she were reaching down for her messenger bag, "Right. I've got Divinations now, I'll see you lot later."

"Oh, do you need some company? I've got a break now, so I wouldn't mind." Dominic said in a feeble voice, which was very out of character for him.

She hesitated, sobering up any humor in her system, "No, it's alright Dom. I've got the class with er –," she said, uncertainly eyeing the top of the blonde's head, "Luna."

"Oh. Right. Have a good time then." He said as cheerily as he could muster.

Once Savannah endearingly announced to Dominic what a fortunate choice he had made choosing her for Chaser, Silver took it as her cue to exit. As she walked out, she could feel Draco's eyes on her but all she really hoped is that he wouldn't follow her out. Not with Luna, he wouldn't, she reassured herself, and especially not with the second head she was currently sporting. Fortunately, Divinations flew by rather quickly, but it was probably because the content of the subject was the furthest thing from her mind as Firenze lectured.

Potions was next for her, but by that time she was already convinced that today was going to be a hopeless day for learning anything. She couldn't bloody concentrate on anything. She begrudgingly took her seat besides Terry and across from Anthony, neglecting to make eye contact and only spoke to Michael Corner, who to the extent of her knowledge hadn't spread any rumors like the latter.

She looked at Draco once, and for a moment she was confused into thinking he was looking at her too. But he had one of those dazed looks on his face, the sort that Luna often wore. He seemed to be deep in thought, and Silver could only bring herself to think of the worst. She focused all of her energy on mixing together the potion she was assigned, when her thoughts brought her back to the intimate kiss Draco and she had shared only a few days ago. She quickly pushed them away, and got back to work, nearly spilling a green frothy liquid on Anthony – unintentionally, of course.

Slughorn approved of her work, congratulating her on a job well done, but all the attention was once again on Harry – who always seemed to outperform the entire class.

"You seem upset." Terry said discreetly as the class began shuffling around.

Silver, who was staring at a crack in the aged wooden surface of the table, raised her head, "And I think I have every right to be." She said succinctly, "But I'm not anymore."

"You know, it wasn't out of bad intentions. We just really thought you and Dominic were an item." Terry added, "It was all just a matter of misconceptions."

She wanted nothing more than to jump across the table and tackle him without mercy, but her better judgment decided against it. "I know."

Anthony struggled to say something, "Yeah, it was a misconception." He echoed, "Are we alright then?"

Silver's green eyes drifted from Terry to Anthony, "Yeah, just as soon as you clear up this whole mess and make sure _everyone_ knows it was all a lie."

Anthony nodded, "Yeah, we'll take care of it. No worries."

Between avoiding Draco, and staying out of Harry's sight – the weeks passed rather dully. Silver focused on nothing but homework, and occasionally took part of conversation in the common room. She spent a lot of time with Luna in the library studying, where she even ran into Hermione once, whom put her highest efforts to strike up conversation, but it was stifled as soon as the librarian hastily shushed them. Dominic continually tried to find ways to spend alone time with her, which was beginning to make Silver particularly uncomfortable and she hated the feeling. She liked Dominic's company, but now it was only full of awkward silences and forced conversation. It went a lot more swimmingly when Blake was around, which Silver observed to be acting differently – a bit more girly, and flirty, much like the way she used to act with Alec the Hufflepuff, although, Dominic didn't seem to notice these new changes in his friend.

Today she found herself with a certain red head she had decided was the cheeriest person to go to when she needed a pick me up.

"Dean's just so…_needy_." Ginny said with a pronounced disgust in her tone. "He can't _ever_ be alone, you know what I mean? It's always Ginny come here…Ginny, let's study…Ginny come walk to class with me…Ginny I think a snog's overdue…"

Silver interrupted her, "He said that?"

Ginny nodded as Silver tittered, finding it quite amusing. "I'm just so bloody sick of him already."

"Well then, I think we both know the most reasonable approach is to chuck the bloke and find a new one."

Ginny laughed shortly at this, "Right? If only it were that simple. Most of the boys my year are stupid, and turns out that dating from a year ahead doesn't make a difference."

Silver cocked her head in amusement, "A year hardly makes a difference Gin. I think we'll just have to start chasing after twenty-five year olds."

"I think you're right."

A harsh wind blew through the courtyard, forcing a banner to sway reluctantly, and a few girls to hold their skirts down. Luckily for Silver and Ginny, they were perfectly safe, sitting on a bench as they laughed at the sight of Cho Chang squealing. That was one thing they had in common, the pair of them both weren't particularly fond of Cho, for different reasons obviously. Ginny, because she dated Harry last year, although she would never admit it so blatantly; Silver, because she was a complete cow to her from the very beginning.

"Oh, are you coming to the match?" Ginny added, "Gryffindor versus Slytherin in about an hour I believe." She double-checked with her thin leather watch to reaffirm her statement, "Actually, I think Harry said something about practice before the match.." she trialed off and shrugged dismissively.

The irony of the situation was just, treacherous. But that shouldn't hold Silver back from enjoying herself – going to a Quidditch game is a normal part of the schooling experience, wasn't it?

"Sure," Silver said uncertainly at first, feeling a buildup in her chest of some uncertain emotion, "Yes, definitely." This time she said with more authority as she let her legs stretch in front of her, "Shall we go then?"

"We shall."

Ginny and Silver rose from their seats and began trekking back to the castle when Ginny was nearly trampled as they rounded a corner.

"Ow, sorry about that." Dominic said ruefully as he grabbed the red head's elbows to steady her.

"It's..alright." Ginny said, making sure she had a check on reality before realizing who had so blindly run into her, and then looked at Silver.

"Oy, where you two headed off to then?" Dominic asked, looking at Silver also.

"Quidditch match? Care to join us?" The brunette smiled, ignoring Ginny's curious glances.

"Delighted." Dominic said as he fell between the pair and intertwined each arm with one of the girls, "But there's a shortcut, over there."

"Who are you to know about shortcuts?" Silver teased, playfully pinching his arm.

He glared down at her, about four inches a difference in height between them, "I'll have you know Potter, that I am quite the adventurer."

"Oh, rubbish! You're full of it is what you are."

"Why, yes I am! I'm full of adventures, actually."

"That's not what I meant –"

"_And_," he interrupted, "after being appointed _captain_, "He proudly shot Ginny a cursory glance, checking to see when she would begin to fawn over him, "I've found new, faster ways to get to the pitch….since I never seemed to make it on time."

She sported a very serious face. "That might have something to do with the idea of you sitting in the common room, whining about practice, and then leaving at the precise time that it is supposed to begin."

He narrowed his chocolate brown eyes, "You know too much about me, it's dangerous."

"Potential blackmail really."

Ginny agreed, looking back and forth between the pair, "Silver's right you know."

Dominic kept his eyes on Silver but begrudgingly broke the contact after he began to notice the blood rushing to his face. "You're on my side aren't you Weasley?"

Ginny shrugged, tittering, "No, not exactly."

"Oh," Silver said surprised, "He _was_ right after all, Gin. Take a look."

Ginny looked ahead to see a long expanse of grass leading to the pitch and smiled as Dominic proudly looked at the pair of them, rubbing in a quick "Told you so".

"Right then, I'm off – I'm sure Harry's frantically wondering why I'm not anxiously pacing 'round the locker room with the rest of the team yet." Ginny said as she waved goodbye and hurried off.

Silver and Dominic ascended the stairs as they caught sight of a very eager Lavender Brown marching past them. The stands were nearly full and the greater part of the audience was in support of the Gryffindor team by the looks of it. There was just a small, very small, portion of green on the opposite side. Taking the lead, Silver let Dominic follow her to an unmistakable lion hat sitting alone.

"I see you're finally putting your hat to use, Luna." Silver said as she landed beside the bewildered blonde.

"I am, you see, I have a lot of friends in Gryffindor. So I thought I'd make it to show them I'm cheering for them." She smiled, still looking ahead.

A loud booming voice echoed throughout the pitch announcing the Gryffindors. A line of broomsticks mounted by it's respective team member in scarlet robes emerged from a distant corner, circulating the field. The weather seemed to be in good spirits as a breezy wind guided the players throughout the pitch and over the roaring audience. Cheers erupted from all sides, some rooted for Harry, a few for Ginny; but the loudest was for Ron. Upon turning around to investigate, Silver learned it was only Lavender Brown. Her face was very serious as her big blue eyes followed the red head until he landed safely on the ground.

Without another moment, the Slytherins followed. This time a neat array of emerald green robes covered the pitch. Silver instantly recognized a head of silvery-blonde hair gleaming against the sun and her heart sank. If they were on talking terms, she would've wished him luck. The thought quickly saddened her mood as few autumn leaves swiveled in circles around her.

"Draco's playing." Dominic leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.

"I noticed." Silver said without a hint of the torturous rush of emotions welling inside of her.

Once the game had begun, it was simply a whirl of green and burgundy, turning, flying, and colliding. The game was fierce, and the competitive edge of both teams was as clear as glass, on _and_ off the field. The Slytherin team called for a time out when their captain waved a hand in the air, and after a short intermission the game once again took flight. Only difference being, Silver noted, that she could no longer spot Draco.

"Where is he? Draco, I mean." She nudged Dominc, who was already looking at the game but took on a more distinct interest as he scanned each player.

"Oh, that's odd." He decided, "I don't think he's playing anymore."

She blinked, successfully maintaining her composure."Can they _do_ that? Just leave without notice."

He shrugged dismissively, "Well, I'm sure the captain's been informed Silver. But yeah, it happens; emergencies and such. You should know, after all you _are_ a replacement on the team."

She peered over at him sheepishly. At this point, Silver was feeling rather skittish about the ambiguity of it all. It was unlike him to just leave like that. It was as if he were quitting, which he wasn't particularly keen on ever being seen as a quitter. His pride was far too great to be tampered with in that manner. What could have possibly been the reason for Draco to suddenly decide he had to leave right in the middle of a game? She was on the precipice of getting on her feet to find out for herself when the entire stadium seemed to have read her mind beforehand and jumped to their feet in jovial cheers.

"Harry Potter has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!"

Most of the students soon proceeded to the grass and ceremoniously carried Harry, raising him on their shoulders along with a few others of the team. Silver pressed through the gaggle, Dominic and Luna at her tail, when she finally found Ginny, who seemed to be shaking her head at a boy's gesture to raise her up.

"Ginny! You were bloody brilliant!" Silver said and gave her a tight hug.

Ginny returned the hug, looking ahead of her to what seemed to be a large circle gathering round. "What's that?"

Silver and Ginny made their way to stand beside Hermione, whom was smiling proudly over at Ron, who seemed to be the star. A few boys chanted 'Weasley is our king' as some girls fawned over him, Lavender Brown included. Although, she kept shooting a few unfriendly glares at anyone who appeared to be getting too touchy.

"Didn't let a single quaffle through!" Someone in the crowd shouted erupting everyone into another roar of enthusiasm. Harry soon appeared at Hermione's side and she gave him a congratulatory hug once he had settled beside her.

Dean broke through a few Gryffindors in hopes of reaching Ginny, "Seamus says there's a party up in the common room, lets go!"

Ginny didn't seem to pay much attention to him and redirected her attention to Silver, "Do you want to come back to the common room? We're celebrating."

Silver easily noticed how stiff her friend had suddenly become when Dean threw his arms around her neck. "I don't think so, I've got loads to do, but I'll see you later."

Dominic and Luna parted ways with Silver as soon as they entered the castle, Dominic mumbling something about re-strategizing under his breath and Luna deciding she wished to follow a trail of nargles, leaving Silver very much alone. She ascended several flights of stairs, in the slowest pace possible, as she mulled over more theories as to why Draco had done what he did. It was honestly ridiculous; she should just ask him is all. Only problem being that he probably never wanted to see her double-crossing face again, for all he knew she had happily cheated on him with Dominic and had now pursued an even happier relationship with the bloke.

Again, there was a boisterous echo of 'Weasley is our King' a few corridors away and a few portraits pigeonholed their fingers into their ears.

"What is that bloody ruckus?" Said a crabby looking gnome as his small black eyes darted in all directions.

She wandered further into the castle, not really sure where she was headed, but decided on the need for a bit of adventure, as Dominic called it. The seventh floor was quite barren and she frankly enjoyed the solitude; the feeling of being the only single person in the entire school, until she spotted the last person she wanted to see standing outside the room of requirements.

She was on the precipice of running away, as fast as her legs permitted, but something made her stay, and the moment he turned to look at her she knew she had no other choice.

Draco's featured face was completely unreadable. He seemed so entirely unaffected by her absence for the past few weeks, and the sight left her feeling disappointed. They stood in silence for what seemed to be hours before Draco broke the silence. His heart was racing, his nerves taut; he didn't even know what to say to her.

"I knew you'd eventually realize I wasn't good company to keep." He shrugged dismissively as he dug a hand into one of the pockets of his black trousers, "it was only a matter of time." This time his voice sounded bitter. He couldn't help it, standing before the girl that meant everything to him made apathy a lot harder than it was in his head.

She tried to keep calm and collected, but before she could remind herself to do so, the words came blurting out, "I'm sorry, it's been..i'm…I shouldn't have ignored you like that." She inhaled deeply, avoiding his gaze, "There's just _so_ much happening, I don't quite know how to handle it."

"You could've told me."

"No_, no_ I couldn't have Draco." She confessed, "You _never_ talk to me about anything! I'm only returning the favor." She averted her eyes downwards, to something he was holding in his hands before adding, "Why have you got that apple?"

He disregarded her question, swiftly hiding it behind his back. He frowned, "Well then, what do you want Silver?"

Her line of vision stayed in the same place where he once held the apple, creasing her forehead as she redirected her attention to him. Draco was standing a few feet away, and that's when she realized that they were talking loud enough for the entire corridor to hear. But even with the distance between them, she could feel his piercing silver eyes boring into her – and getting words out just became unbearable. She wanted to run into his arms and feel the warmth of his chest on her face, listen to the rhythmic beating of his heart and feel as if she were a part of him, a part of his heart – because he was a part of hers.

"Is there anything…anything at all that you need to tell me?" She said, seeming to reach some sort of decision.

He studied her face, reading the desperation embedded into her green eyes and for a moment he nearly said it. He nearly revealed to her everything that would place the both of them at the wrath of the dark lord, just for the sole reason of his fierce anxiety to win her back; for his own desires to be happy again, with her.

"No."

Silver eyed him expectantly, "Nothing about why you left the match.."

He would've found it easier if a boulder had careened straight into him, "No.." he whispered, almost inaudibly.

She nearly died of disappointment, "Then you know what I want? I want time, Draco. Time away from you, time away from Harry, time away from just.._everything_."

His throat felt dry, and in spite of himself, said nothing. He admittedly had nothing to say, as much as he wanted to, he could never tell her about what was making him so miserable. He couldn't tell her the reason as to why he couldn't eat or sleep, or even think properly.

Ruefully, she took one last look at him and sped away. She ran past the corridor, turned, and down the stairs until she was completely out of sight. Her eyes were rimming with tears, but she immediately drew her hands to rub them off. She wouldn't cry, not again.

"Omph!"

Silver crashed straight into someone as she turned a corner.

"Merlin! I'm sorry, I didn't –"

"Silver," Harry's eyes widened behind his spectacles, "Please go talk to her, Hermione's been in the bathroom for at least a half hour. I think she's crying."

Silver found herself to be the least helpful person to brighten Hermione's spirits at this particular moment, but she obliged anyways after a few seconds of deliberation. She cautiously walked straight into the girl's bathroom, closely examining the darkened threshold for any sign of Hermione, until she saw a pair of feet from behind a stall.

"Hermione?" Silver called out hesitantly.

A sniffle was heard from behind the stall, "W-who is it?"

"It's Silver. I was only about to use the loo, when I recognized your…er..your shoes."

Hermione blew her nose, "My shoes?" she asked questionably.

"Yes," She said, realizing how stupid she sounded, "but that isn't important. Are you alright?"

Hermiones voice was a bit throaty, it sounded as if she were pinching her nose as she spoke, "W-why would you care? Y-you hate me d-don't you?"

A little bit, she did, yes. "I don't _hate_ you Hermione." Silver admitted as she let herself fall against a pillar,"I don't agree with what you did, but I'm not going to let you suffer alone."

It was silent for a few moments, before the sound of rattling hinges overwhelmed the quiet bathroom and the door fell ajar. Hermione's hair was the first thing she saw, judging that the relatively damp environment wasn't exactly advantageous for her frizz prone hair. Her big brown eyes were red and puffy, as if she had been crying for hours, and her cheeks were stained with tears. She held a tissue to her reddened nose and sniffled.

"It's nothing, I really don't even understand why I'm crying." She said throatily, trying to remain level-headed, "I-its completely silly."'

Silver inched towards her after she pushed herself off the pillar,"Then if it's so silly, why don't you just tell me?"

Hermione looked up at her, then past her and towards the direction of the sink and inhaled deeply. "Lavender kissed Ron…and he didn't do anything to stop her." She sulked, shaking her head, realizing how unreasonable it sounded, "but then again, I don't exactly know what I was expecting…"

"What every other girl expects," Silver smiled sadly, "you wanted Ron to read your mind, and know that your actions, completely contradict your thoughts…and feelings.."

Hermione let her shoulders fall as she brushed a brown strand of hair behind her ear. "I…just assumed he would know that…that _I_ fancied him, then he would realize that – well that, Lavender isn't the girl he should be celebrating with."

Silver watched Hermione as her lips downturned and a few fresh tears fell down her cheeks. They were both in similar situations. Their fear was getting in the way, their fear of the truth. Hermione wouldn't tell Ron she fancied him, and Silver wouldn't tell Draco what she had found out, because neither of them wanted to be exposed to the chance of their predisposed assumptions being true. And with that revelation, Silver decided it was time to put her ill feelings for Hermione away, and offered her comfort with a hug.

"Lavender?" She said, pretending to gag, "You'd think he'd have better taste right?"

Hermione laughed for only a moment, "S-she's a cow."

Silver nodded with a tight-lipped smile, "Not to mention, she's completely mental."

"A-and, she isn't very smart."

"No, she's rather stupid actually."

Hermione seemed to like the direction this conversation was headed, and began to feel increasingly better as the minutes passed, whereas Silver couldn't quite shake off her misery just yet.

* * *

**A/N: ****Suprise, surprise Draco and Silver have gotten into yet **another** fight, only difference being that this one actually broke them up, leaving them both single!  
********Kinda makes you wonder what kind of problems that'll brew up, huh? **

**But anywho, This update came a lot sooner than I thought it would!  
And it was all thanks to those of you that helped me with my writer's block. You're all amazing (:  
So what's the verdict? Is it gone for good?  
I sure hope so, but I'll only know for sure with your reviews! :D**

**And in the words of KabbyDare: "What will happen with Dom's apparent new found interest in Silver? Will Hermione's feelings ever reach Ron? Will Silver and Draco ever get back together? And is the cursed writers block really gone for good? find out next time on Witin Enemy Lines!"**


	16. Cursed

**Cursed**

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The following weekend was welcomed with an outing to Hogsmeade, much to the entire student body's elation. Everyone was well in need of some time away from the school and it couldn't have come at a better time. That morning, Silver threw on a pair of dark jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a sweater over it all due to the bitter winds outside. She examined her reflection in the mirror and decided to add a scarf for good measure. She strolled down the corridors with Blake and Luna, finding a spot amongst the wake of students all urgently making their way to the entrance hall. Mr. Filch checked each and every single person with his secrecy sensor, to eliminate any form of suspicious activity, causing quite a queue of angry students.

"Aw, C'mon then!" One student complained.

"It's nearly been an hour!" Said another.

"Move it along Filch!" Dominic shouted, clearly aroused with the other students remarks, being as he isn't the type to form much of a scene anywhere, aside from the common room.

Blake looked at him peculiarly and then back at Silver, "I can use a butterbeer about now."

"Agreed." Said Silver as she tried to look ahead to see how many students were in front of them.

Luna, who had gone back to retrieve a pair of colorful mittens she had left behind struggled past the gaggle to regain her spot with the trio. She slipped them on her pale hands, clashing terribly with her fuschia sweater.

"Move it!" A voice came from behind them, but before anyone had a chance to find it's owner, a large boy cut straight between Silver and Blake, causing them to lose their balance.

"Hey, watch it!" Silver said, annoyed, when she realized it was Crabbe's thick figure cutting through everyone. He turned his head, sparing her a deathly glare, and then sauntered forward to where a few Slytherins stood.

"No, Parkinson, I've got better things to do than get an ice cream with you." Draco scowled as he rolled his eyes, reciting the same line for what seemed to be the sixth time.

Crabbe laughed arrogantly, taking his place beside Goyle, "Oy, Potter's back there."

"Which one?" asked Goyle stupidly.

"The ex-Crouch." Said Crabbe proudly, crossing his arms over his chest, "She's terrified of me, it's brilliant."

"What's an ex-crouch?"

"He means Barty's daughter you idiot." Blaise scoffed.

Draco couldn't help but listen to them ramble on, and casually looked back, scanning the group until his eyes landed on her. He would always feel as if his stomach had been physically turned inside out whenever he saw her, and sitting beside her in Defense Against the Dark Arts was just unbearable. She would only politely smile at him before she took her seat, leaving him emotionally knackered for the rest of class. Fortunately, they hadn't had any group assignments as of yet, so awkward conversation was scarce.

"Malfoy, would you stop it already?" Millicent Bulstrode said anxiously beside him as she threw him a furtive glance, "She isn't good for you."

Draco begrudgingly broke his concentration and looked down at the honey-blonde contemptuously, "Right."

"I'm serious." She said sternly, "And honestly, I haven't even seen the pair of you speak more than a word to each other these past couple of weeks."

"Nice to know your stalking me Bulstrode." He drawled, as Crabbe and Goyle sniggered like the loyal cronies they are.

She huffed, "She's chucked you hasn't she?" her voice was taunting now.

Pansy impatiently stared back and forth between the pair, and when Draco didn't say anything, she smiled. "It's alright if she has Draco. Just like Millie said, your too good for her, trust me."

"Blimey, it's finally happened then!" Blaise patted his friend on the shoulder before he snaked a hand around Millicent, "Only a matter of time before you realized it was all rubbish."

Draco's shoulders stiffened, "Pay attention Parkinson." He redirected the topic as Filch conspicuously eyed Pansy's shoulder bag.

"Oh, here." She held it out for him as he inspected it, and then granted her the right to exit the premises.

"Thank you." Said Ginny cheerily as she pushed past Filch and into out the grand oak doors, instantly regretting doing so. The wind slapped at her face, snow following soon after before she had the chance to take cover under her scarf.

"Watch it there, Gin." Dean said, grabbing her waist as she nearly tripped over her own feet because of the slippery surface.

Ginny didn't thank him, she only tried to regain her own stance so she wouldn't require Dean's help any longer than necessary. The walk to Hogsmeade was not enjoyable in the least. She even began to question her decision to journey in the bitter cold over sitting comfortably back in the common room before the warm fire.

"You are going to talk to me aren't you?" Dean said impatiently after she wriggled her way out of his grasp.

"No." She said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest which was wrapped in layers of sweaters.

"Why not?"

"Because, I don't feel like it."

He rolled his eyes, "Ginny."

"What?" she said, growing more annoyed, "I just don't want you to have to take care of me all the time! Stop grabbing me, if I fall – I fall. The end. Just let me _be_."

Dean looked a bit put off, not quite expecting her confessions so blatantly. "I only do it because I care about you Gin."

"I know you do, but I would rather you let me do things for myself."

The pair continued to march forward, fighting with their feet as they sunk deeply into the snow. The rest of the students were bent double against the freezing, harsh winds.

"Look, see that up there?" Ginny motioned stiffly at the Three Broomsticks a few feet ahead.

Dean nodded and trudged ahead. Once they'd arrived inside, they alleviated themselves of one layer of clothing, instantly feeling pounds lighter, and took a table off to the corner.

Ginny's eyes darted around the pub, and then back at Dean, who smirked at her. "What?" She said, laughing softly.

"Well, I was thinking…" Dean began to say in somewhat of a whisper, "I know there's one thing you can't do all on your own."

Ginny smiled, stifling a laugh that was threatening to erupt. He was so corny. "Oh yeah, and what is that then?" She said, leaning in closer.

She stared into his dark brown eyes as she watched them slowly grow closer until their lips touched.

"Oh dear, would you look at that?" Silver said coyly from a few tables away, staring at her friend and her boyfriend thrashing around like a pair of eels.

Blake shot them a curious look, her pale cheeks reddening almost instantly. Her hazel eyes darted uncertainly to Dominic, who seemed to be looking at Silver and laughing.

"Brilliant, we've got a meal _and_ a show." He teased.

Luna didn't seem to have noticed anything at all. She seemed more concerned with a distant hole in the roof than with the scene beside her. "I'm going to go get a drink, shall I get some for the lot of you too?"

"Yes, _please_." Blake practically begged as she pinched the tip of her frozen nose, "Why is it _so_ bloody cold?"

"It's called winter." Dominic said smartly.

"Oh, we've got a real genius here don't we?" Silver said sarcastically earning herself a menacing look from Dominic.

Shortly after, Luna arrived trying to balance four mugs in either hand, looking quite alleviated when she was able to set them down on the table. The four of them laughed as Dominic struggled with keeping the drink from spilling out of his nose right after Silver pointed out what an oddly shaped head the person behind him had, failed, and within a few seconds, snow wasn't the only thing they had to worry about.

"I've got to use the loo." Blake announced after she had divulged Dominic with how incredibly chuffed she was about his butterbeer having stained her sweater before looking at Silver with a 'so do you' sort of face.

"Me too, I think." added Silver.

On their way there, the girls passed Harry, Hermione, and Ron who all looked rather stressed and unhappy; Harry especially, who seemed to be shooting daggers at Dean. Silver waved, with no desire to intrude on the tension surrounding them, and then noticed Blaise Zabini standing near them. He was lolling by a pillar nearby as Pansy sat on the table right beside him with Millicent drinking a pair of butterbeers. She habitually looked for Draco, but he wasn't there leaving her to mull over his possible whereabouts – which unfortunately lead to Harry's deatheater accusation, making her even more antsy. Blake pushed open the door to find a rather pretty middle-aged woman sitting alone on a lounge chair centered between the stalls. Neither Silver nor Blake thought anything of it, except for when Silver caught a quick glimpse of her eyes. The way they stared up at her seemed so unnatural.

Silver distracted herself by peering over at the mirror for her reflection, where she was only frightened by the woman's impertinent stare once again. She drew away from the mirror cautiously, beginning to grow particularly uncomfortable with the woman's intrusive nature and wished desperately for Blake to hurry. "Err..Blake," She said softly, self-conscious of the woman watching her, "I'll…wait outside for you alright?"

And before she permitted herself from waiting for a response, Silver slipped through the small, bedraggled door and leaned her back against the wall outside. Moments passed and passed, and Silver began to think Blake was taking unusually long at the loo, when finally she exited, but there was something she was holding.

Blake stalked off, almost as if she had forgotten Silver was there and she walked quickly to catch up. "Blake, what's that?" Silver prompted.

Blake didn't answer, she only continued her way to the table to grab her things.

"What? What's going on?" Dominic said smiling as Blake took her coat from under his arms on the table.

"Blake!" Silver said sternly, grabbing a hold of both of her arms. Her hazel eyes were blank and filmy, an eerie reminder of the woman inside the lavatory. Silver snapped a finger over her face, "Blake? You alright?"

"I'm perfectly fine." She drawled, "I've got to go, I've got something to give to Dumbledore."

"To Dumbledore?" Dominic raised a brow in speculation.

Silver looked at the item in her hands, covered in brown wrappings. "Who gave that to you?"

"A lady."

"Who?"

"The woman in the bathroom." Blake released herself from Silvers grasp and turned around.

Silver motioned for Dominic and Luna to stand, which they did, and followed her out of the pub.

"Hold on Blake, we're coming!" Silver called out behind her, hugging her coat closer to her body covering the bottom half of her face with her scarf. "It's freezing, put your coat on will you!"

Silver looked over her shoulder at Dominic as Blake paraded off as if no one were speaking to her. Silver ran forward, her legs burning at the weight of the snow on her boots, and finally caught up to her, spinning her around.

"This is nothing of your concern, Silver!" Blake snapped loudly.

"Yes it is! There's something wrong with you." Silver shot back, "What happened with that woman, did she do something to you?"

"No! I've got to give this to Dumbledore."

In great annoyance, Silver reached for the package but Blake instantly retracted it before she had a chance to grab it. "Let me have a look at it."

"You can't, this is for Dumbledore."

At this point, Dominic and Luna were already watching on from behind Silver.

"She's got quite a bit of wackspurts around her head." Luna suggested as if that were the solution to all their problems.

"Blake, settle down, just let us take that –"

"No!" Blake said as Silver managed to grope the brown wrappings and slid it out of her hands. "Give it back!" She took a hold of an uncovered part of the package that had torn, revealing a greenish glitter when it fell straight to the snowy floor. Without a moment's notice, Blake's body was thrashed into the air, her arms were outstretched on either side of her and her auburn hair was whipping around as the harsh winter winds blew fiercely.

"Blake!" Silver screamed in panic, taking a few steps backwards and crashing into Dominic.

"Silver!" Said a voice from behind her, "What's going on?" Harry demanded as he ran up to them.

Before she could answer, Blake let out a piercing scream of agony. She sounded as if she were in the most horrible pain anyone could ever endure. The terrifying sight made Silver's skin crawl. She ran off to try and grab Blake's ankles, but she couldn't quite reach. It wasn't until Ron, the tallest of the group, and Harry groped at them, sending her straight to the ground. She landed on top of the three of them.

Blake's chilling screams still echoed through the landscape as she tossed and turned on the ground beneath her as the three of them struggled to escape from under her, Ron especially.

"Blake?" Silver said, trying to hold her arms in place, but Blake didn't recognize her. Her eyes were directed at the sky, straight past anyone who tried to talk to her.

"Who's there?" Hagrid's booming voice emerged from behind a tree and his eyes suddenly engorged to the size of orbs at the sight of Blake thrashing on the ground.

"Hagrid!....Hagrid she's been cursed..or something!" Harry screamed over the bellowing winds. Hagrid rushed over to them, looking at Blake, then at the jewelry on the ground. He shook his head in great concern and lifted her into his oversized arms, rushing straight to the castle without another word.

"What's happened to her?" Silver asked Dominic, her green eyes welling with tears.

Dominic's eyes were a bit glassy as well, "It happened so suddenly…I-I don't know.."

"What's that, there?" Hermione asked the group curiously.

"Blake came out of the bathroom with it! We tried to ask her what it was but she only got angry and stalked off." Silver responded, with a hint of panic in her voice. "t-then I knew there was something wrong with her because her eyes were…they looked off….there was a strange look.." Silver let out a wail, "Oh, I'm so stupid! I didn't realize….s-she was only in the bathroom," She struggled with herself before she looked back at Hermione, "I-I think Blake was imperiused."

Hermione gasped, "By _whom_?"

"I don't know!" Silver exhaled in frustration, "There was a woman in the bathroom..I don't know who she is"

And at that instant, Hermione disappeared back into the pub, coming back a few minutes later with a unsatisfied expression on her face, "There's no one in there."

Silver's ebony hair flew about her as the winds grew stronger, "We need to take that..it's got to be cursed."

Harry obediently unwrapped his scarf and covered the necklace in it, cautious not to touch it. "Right. Let's get off to school then."

It wasn't until they made it to the entrance did Silver realize her whole body was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold. She could hear Harry and Hermione's hushed whispers from behind her, and she was almost certain she had heard the name 'Malfoy' mentioned more than once – but she was hardly in the mood for a row.

"McGonagall!" Ron warned from behind them at the professor's slender figure hurrying down the stone steps of Hogwarts and into the snow.

"Upstairs to my office." She said sizing up the group as to gauge whether they would all fit, "What's that Potter?"

"Blake Trench was holding it just before." Harry said.

McGonagall's face fel in dismay as she took the scarf out of Harry's hands. The seven of them hurried behind McGonagall, following her straight into her office.

"Well then? Anyone care to explain?" She demanded fiercely, glowering down at them.

Silver proceeded to explaining what happened, with Dominic adding in a bit of details that Silver had forgotten to mention.

"I admittedly believe that it has something to do with the wackspurts." Luna said succinctly, but McGonagall only disregarded her comment and continued, "And that's when she rose up in the air? When she touched the necklace?"

"Yes, she took it from me, and then…" Silver shook her head, "May I go see her Professor, _please_?"

"Yes, go ahead Potter," The wizened woman looked at the dreadfully distracted blonde, "and take Lovegood with you." She said before she redirected her attention back at the four who remained.

Silver grabbed Luna's arm and trudged out of her office and up to the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was tentatively hovering over Blake, giving her three different antidotes in the allotted seconds they stood there.

The woman looked at them grudgingly, with strong concern in her eyes. "I'm afraid she wont come to today girls. You might want to check in tomorrow."

"Is she going to be alright?" Silver asked despairingly.

Madam Pomfrey only mustered something between a smile and a frown, "I'm not sure my dears. I'm waiting for Professor Snape to have a look at it and tell me what caused this, only then can I decipher way to cure her."

Luna sniffled a bit, much to Silver's surprise, and she came to Silver's side to wrap an arm around her shoulders, "She'll be alright. I can tell."

"How can you tell Luna?" Silver asked dubiously.

"Because she wasn't meant to have this happen, she isn't intended to die."

"_die?"_ Silver's voice rose to a panic as a few tears escaped her.

Madam Pomfrey seemed outraged, "Alright, that's enough dears, come back tomorrow."

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**A/N: I just noticed that my chapter's have been pretty long lately! I'll try to shorten them up a little bit for next time.**  
**That is, unless you guys like them longer like this?**

**Well, so here I tried to write a little bit about what's going on in some of the other characters lives, aside from just Silvers. And now Blake has been cursed! (i spared Katie Bell from having to go through it). I felt kind of guilty doing it though, I really like Blake, and I didn't want to get rid of her ; but I thought it would be more interesting, considering I've never mentioned Katie Bell here. **

**Finals are approaching, and I can't believe how fast the semesters gone! Does anybody else feel this way, because I feel like it started yesterday. But on the bright side, summer's coming and I know that **hadleyconlon** is as excited as I am to tan! (: Just like I'm sure there's a few more out there that feel the same way!**

**Thanks for your lovely reviews (: Keep them coming!**

Preview, courtesy of KabbyDare:

"Who is the lady from the bathroom, and why would she want to give a cursed item to Dumbledore? Will Blake ever recover? wait and see next time on 'Within Enemy Lines'!"


	17. Blind Assumptions

**Blind Assumptions**

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"St. Mungos?" Dominic echoed the response a small group of concerned students had received from Madame Pomfrey just a few minutes ago. "Why can't Blake stay here where her friends can look after her?"

Silver only kept her eyes fixed on the burning embers of the fireplace before her, letting her head fall back against Savannah's legs from her seat on the floor. The only thing distracting her was the occasional movement of Dominic's figure pacing in front of her.

"There's nothing else they can do for her here, Dom" Silver frowned, still looking ahead, "St. Mungos has better healers..and better counter-curses than our infirmary does, I'm sure."

"She's right, love." Savannah added as she allowed herself the liberty of braiding a few random strands of Silver's long black hair.

"They said she'd be alright, with the proper treatment." Luna strode to his side, patting his shoulder before she took a seat in an empty armchair beside the fireplace.

Dominic seemed to have settled down, deciding to ease his legs of anymore walking, and plopped down beside Silver. "It's agonizing," He sulked, "Just waiting around and realizing you can't do anything about it.."

Silver's gaze landed on his concerned expression, carelessly letting her head fall into his shoulder, only upon feeling a slight pull to her hair due to Savannah still fiddling with it, and jerked it upwards once again.

The night ended on a sour note, being as there wasn't the slightest trace of happiness in the common room that night. Even those who didn't know Blake personally felt compelled to join their grief, because she was still a part of the small family they had here at Hogwarts.

Morning dawned with the sound of snow-covered-rain pelting viciously against the large windows of the common room, much to Silver's dismay. Her fear of heavy thunderstorms hadn't diminished in the slightest, but then again who wouldn't feel a bit uneasy at the chance that a window would break in due to the hail outside. She scuttled down to the common room when she nearly cried in horror when Dominic tapped her shoulder.

"Don't sneak up on me!" She cried, relentlessly trying to catch her breath.

Dominic struggled to stifle his laughter, letting a bit escape before she slapped his arm in disapproval. "I wasn't sneaking up on you."

"You were too!" She subjected herself to such a weak retaliation, simply because she was still a bit flustered to think straight.

"Paranoooid." He said in a sing song voice, sloppily throwing his arm over her shoulders and squeezing it.

"Oh, you're feeling funny today are you?" Silver dragged him forward, "So funny, I forgot to laugh!"

Dominic grinned arrogantly to annoy her, instantly succeeding, but their playful banter was subdued as soon as Anthony and Terry entered the room, deep in conversation. Dominic hastily withdrew his arm and let It fall limply at his side.

Upon realization of their presence, Anthony made his way over with Terry and began to say something to Dominic, who responded, lacking even half of the enthusiasm Anthony seemingly had. The four of them all walked down to the Great Hall together, mostly chatting about their classes until Silver realized Terry was travelling alone.

"Terry, where's Savannah?" She asked from her place between him and Dominic.

He stiffened, the smile previously occupying his face, slowly fading from his lips. "Honestly?"

Silver nodded with slight hesitation.

"I've no idea." He smiled humorlessly.

Silver was suddenly consumed with guilt, remembering what Savannah had told her that day at the Quidditch trials.

"She's been busy lately." He said to Silver, but there wasn't much doubt that he didn't quite believe what he was saying, "Well, with school work and Quidditch…I haven't seen her much."

"You know, come to think of it, I haven't seen her much lately either." She said reassuringly, "She must be very preoccupied with....everything."

His crystal blue eyes softened, "Can you remind her she has a boyfriend then?" He laughed, but something in the way he said it insisted it wasn't at all a laughing matter.

That morning at Divinations, Silver was once again congratulated for a job well done on her predictions for the week.

"So, it's raining? There's always a chance _that_ might happen." Silver explained to Luna, who was carefully examining her paper.

She seemed to have spotted something to prove otherwise, "What about that bit about a student falling ill? Look at what happened to Blake."

Silver's heart felt heavy, "It's not my fault that happened to Blake."

Luna, realizing that her suggestion had completely been taken out of context, tried to steer it back in the right direction, "I wasn't saying it was your fault. I'm only saying you've got a gift - being able to predict what's to come. Although, unfortunately, I don't think you can do anything to change what's already paved into anyone's fate."

"That's completely mental, Luna." Silver shook her head, "I'm not a fortune teller, I'm just trying to pass this class." She argued to a seemingly unconvinced Luna.

"Don't run away from it. If it's true, it'll only resurface." She prophesized, "Just consider it a possibility that you might be some sort of, seer."

Silver raised her eyebrows, "Of course I'm not a seer!" She said a bit too loudly, causing Lavender Brown and Padma to cast her curious glances.

"What d'you want Brown?" Silver inquired, annoyed, as Lavender's brashness instantly disappeared and she proceeded to look back down to her desk.

Luna remained unfazed, "Just consider it, Sil."

Later that day in the common room, Silver sat pensively, wrapping her arms over her knees. Blake was in hospital, Draco was hardly even considered a student with how often he seemed to disappear, and now Luna was insinuating that she was some sort of prophet. She dug her head deeper into the hollow between her knees. A slight comfort was that she no longer heard voices in her head, so she was slightly content at the thought of any traces of potential madness gone. But at the same time, she wanted to hear more. Could it be an insight as to what's to happen in the future? If it was, it seemed important enough that she should know more about it. Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Snape were scheming and perhaps she would be able to catch it before their plans were set in motion. Anything involving the three of them could easily be linked as potentially threatening to Harry, and if she was granted the gift of foresight, as Luna claims, then her purpose, she decided, was to cease it.

She noticed Dominic entering haphazardly, frustrated about something. He dropped his backpack on the floor and spun around, facing her.

"Alright, Dom?" She asked quietly, setting her thoughts astray.

"You know Alec went up to visit her, Blake I mean." He said.

She peered over at Dominic's frazzled expression, "Just before they took her to , yeah, I heard."

He was now standing over her, hiding his hands in his pockets, "It must've dawned on him after he chucked her…what a catch he had."

She looked at him curiously before an interruption came in the form of Lucinda, who was hard at work trying to manage her bow from falling off the side of her hair. "So?" she said expectedly.

Dominic and Silver stared at her strangely, not quite understanding her.

Lucinda shifted her weight, seemingly bothered, "Are you two dating, or what?"

An awkward glance was exchanged between the pair before Silver said, "No, Lucinda. We're not."

She pouted, "Oh..well, how's Blake doing then?"

Dominic stepped in for this one, "Alright, I suppose. Flitwcik said he'd let us know if he received word from the hospital."

She nodded, digesting the information, "Well, I was wondering, Silver, if you knew where the library was? I haven't gone in some time and seem to have forgotten."

Silver was skeptical at first, convinced that it was all a trap in order to coerce her to spill some secrets, but she went anyway, "No problem, I can take you up there if you'd like."

"Brilliant!"

Silver lead her downstairs and into the entrance of the library, dropping her off right in front of the grand doors. Lucinda hadn't bothered her for a Dominic-related question the entire way there. Lucinda thanked her and then went inside, instantly spotting her friends and joining them.

"Hey, got some studying to do?"

Silver looked to her left to see Cormac McLaggen dropping something off with Madam Pince at the circulation desk, and then turning to her.

"Oh," she said stupidly, realizing he was talking to her, "No, I just came to show my friend, Lucinda, where the library was."

"That's very noble." He smiled smartly at her.

"I suppose so."

He laughed, casually throwing his backpack over his shoulder. "Heading my way?"

Silver's lips parted, feeling as if he had confused her for someone else, "Er – I don't know. I'm going this way -."

"Perfect, so am I."

They walked together, when he mentioned their their Muggle Studies paper, sparking a conversation, when Silver saw a couple snogging, very heavily, in a corner nearby. It was surprising they were still alive, considering she had been watching them the entire time Cormac and her walked down the corridor, and not once had they come up for air. But when she drew nearer to them, she stood agog at the sight. It was Ron with that, Lavender girl!

The tall, burly boy noticed what she was so boggled about, "I know, I always thought Ron fancied that Granger girl." He shrugged dismissively, continuing on his way.

Silver began to understand why Hermione felt the way she did. She didn't even fancy Ron and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable from just watching them.

"C'mon" he called after her, "I'll walk you to your common room, we can get to know each other better." He said, winking.

Silver stared after him. He was attractive, that was certain. Maybe this was going to be a good thing, her and Cormac could be, friends. Except for part where Anthony Goldstein snuck up on them, after questioning why they were lurking in the halls so late, going so far as to threaten them with a detention.

"Anthony, it isn't even past curfew." Silver looked at him oddly.

"The school's dangerous at this hour." He retaliated.

"Is it?" Cormac peered over at his watch, "at 6:30?"

Anthony nodded, determined to stand by his word until he looked past them at Ron and Lavender, making a face.

"Yeah, we saw them too." Silver piped in.

"You'd think Weasley would know better. That's a distraction in the corridors!"

Silver laughed a little, "It's hazardous to the school environment."

Anthony was about to agree when he noticed the playful glint in her eyes, "Why do I feel as if you're mocking me."

Cormac seemed to think this over, "I think that's what she's doing actually."

"Oh, why, thank you McLaggen, for that piece of information." He said sarcastically.

"No problem, mate." Cormac pat his shoulder.

Silver remained tight-lipped, in her highest efforts to stifle her laughter. "Cormac, you're quite the smart one, aren't you. I can tell."

Cormac seemed pleased to hear this for her quickly straightened his robes, proudly. "I catch on to things very quickly, you see."

"No, yes, I've definitely noticed." Silver said, deadpan," Well boys, I'll be on my way then."

She cut in between them and strode off into the corridor, when she felt an arm grab her elbow a few moments later.

"Oh Cormac," He began to say in a voice that was too squeaky to be his own, "You're brilliant and did I mention smart? So smart, in fact, that you didn't even notice I was completely laughing at you!"

She grinned broadly, aware of her actions. "It was fun."

"For you and I both." He added.

"And why did you stop to give us a detention, Anthony?" She scrutinized him, "It wasn't like you had the grounds to issue one."

Anthony let his head fall, embarrassed. "Is it too hard for you to believe that I wasn't thrilled to see you with him?"

"Why not?" she said, examining his face, although he failed to meet her gaze.

"Well, a lot of girls fancy him."

"So?"

He laughed nervously, passing a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "I don't know, I thought you did too."

"I still don't understand how that's got to do with anything…"

He caught her eyes for a moment, before he flicked them downwards, "Well…I was sort of hoping you didn't."

Silver froze in place, completely caught off guard by his impromptu confession. "Oh."

"oh?" Anthony echoed sheepishly, "I tell you all of that, and all you've got to say is 'oh'?"

"Umm…"She hesitated, "Well, I don't..fancy him, I mean." She proposed, with lack of ideas for something else to say.

He smiled down at her, his blue eyes gleaming at her, "And I'm happy to hear it."

The pair talked, and laughed when appropriate, on their way back to the common room.

Anthony wasn't as slimy of a git as she had accused him to be. They had always been friends, before things started getting complicated when he tried to kiss her last year, and then proceeded to spreading rumors with Terry this year. But with that all aside, far aside, she actually didn't mind his company.

Draco watched on from a windowsill he was sitting on, not far from where Ron and Lavender were still at it. It was only a few days ago that they'd broken up, and she was already acting as if nothing had happened! His blood was boiling, and for a short second his anger almost allowed him to forget the weight he suddenly felt crushing his chest. He stared down at the bruised apple he held in his pale hands. He'd been working hours upon hours on the vanishing cabinet, and he still hadn't been able to successfully transport the apple out of Hogwarts and back. He threw it out in front of him, irate, but felt a little better when it hit Ron in the head.

He got to his feet and made his way to the dungeons, in hopes of finding a distraction in the common room. But sometimes, he wished that distraction didn't always come in the form of Pansy Parkinson. She was sprawled out on the couch, seemingly bored when she saw him come in.

"Millie and Blaise have gone off again." She drawled, insinuating how annoyed she was with the situation.

"They've been doing that a lot lately haven't they?" He asked, ignoring the fact that Pansy sat upright to make space for him beside her, opting for the armchair across from her instead.

Her shoulders dropped in dismay, "Unfortunately."

He looked around the room, "Where's Crabbe and Goyle?"

"I thought they were with you." She said suspiciously.

"They were." He admitted, covering his face with his hands, "But then they went off somewhere." He thought back to how closely he had come to being caught exiting the room of requirements earlier. He'd asked Crabbe to keep watch, after having drank the Polyjuice potion of course, but realized he wasn't there anymore once he had gotten around to giving up on the cabinet.

"How's it going? That mission your refuse to tell us about." Pansy beckoned.

"It could be better."

"How so?"

"By figuring out how to do it without –" He was going to finish by saying he preferred to have not hurt Blake Trench knowing that in turn, he had hurt Silver, but instead remained quiet.

Pansy smirked, knowing Draco too well. "Fine. Keep your secrets. But I'll bet it was that bravado of yours that's ruined your chances with that girl."Then her tone changed to something sadder, rueful even, when she added, "It's what ruined us."

* * *

**A/N: Gaaaah! I hate finals -_- But I got two out of the way yesterday, so I found the chance to squeeze in a quick update (:**  
**I really hope you guys enjoyed it! Once the summer comes along, I'll update a lot more. **  
**But thanks so much for all your reviews, you have no idea how excited I get reading them. And sometimes, I'll read them over and over, just because I'm weird (: **  
**Keep them coming!**

**By the way, I know this is really random, but, does anyone have any experience with dying your own hair? I have really dark brown hair and I've been wanting to dye it like an auburn red, but the last time I tried it came out burgundy - and I wasn't very happy. If anyone has any tips, it would be greatly appreciated!**


	18. Seventeen Candles

**Seventeen Candles**

* * *

Today was a relatively climatic day in Silver's calendar. On the dawn of this new day, she became seventeen years old, a turning point in a witch's life. Now considered an adult, she had access to doing a lot of things, such as apparating, although she didn't know how to do yet, but to which she was banned only a day ago. But unfortunately, she couldn't revel in the excitement it usually instilled, because she didn't have Blake to celebrate it with; and she wasn't on speaking terms with Draco, again.

As she played with her long, wavy hair, the mirror reflected a silvery light from the outside. Although it was snowing, there was still some sunlight.

"Happy Birthday!" Luna's figure reflected off the mirror Silver was staring into.

"Thanks, Luna." She smiled, hugging her briefly.

"I've made you something." said Luna with great excitement, "it's a necklace, a radish necklace."

Silver, at first flattered at the idea of a gift, carefully tried not to frown, as to not disappoint her friend, "Oh, Luna," she said, slowly, holding the necklace out, "It's…wow…you shouldn't have."

"Of course I should. You're my friend, and I don't have a lot, so I wanted to, get you something I mean."

"It's lovely, really it is." silver said, suddenly feeling guilty for not liking her necklace, after her speech.

Potions began the kickoff to her day, and it was rather boring. She drifted off to sleep nearly three times in class, until Terry was forced to hold her head up once to keep it from falling. This didn't go unnoticed by Harry, who was beginning to wonder what she was so sleepy about.

Slughorn declared the day's lecture to be over, and everyone instantly reached for their things and shuffled out the door. Silver, being in that category, exited as well, noting she should probably go take quick nap during her break. She stopped, accidently dropping her book, and piled it over her right arm, along with her Divinations textbook.

"It's your birthday, isn't it?" Harry came beside her, "or it could be tomorrow…"

"No, it's today." she assured him, smiling and straightening up.

"Brilliant. Happy birthday, then."

"Thanks, Harry." She paused, "But I don't think I've ever told you when my birthday is before, have I?"

Harry shook his head no.

"How'd you figure it out, then?" She wondered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Harry, who was confidently smiling at her, suddenly flickered his eyes downwards, his smile growing sad, "Sirius told me..last year."

She nodded, understanding the sad memories she could've just prompted for him, "You haven't talked about it much, about what happened. You know, sometimes it's better to say things out loud; that way, I think, it's easier to deal with."

"I know. I'd just…prefer not thinking about it, yet."

"You know, in a way I feel rather guilty." She said, managing to catch his attention once again, "Sirius was taken from you, after just the short amount of time you spent with him. Your godfather, who cared for you more like a father would." She held onto her textbooks tighter, "And I've still got Remus, and I've got the chance to get to know him better – something you were robbed of."

Harry stood stiffly, his shoulders rigid, "I learned so much from Sirius, and I do feel robbed; but in turn, I also remember something he told me last year." He could feel tears threatening to spill as the memory forming in his head, "He said…that although, I've felt alone, and my parents are dead, they left me a gift – a sister. And I'm sure he'd be repeating it to me today, if he were still…" he trailed off, deciding it was too difficult to continue talking about his deceased godfather.

Silver hugged her brother, "We're family, and nothing will ever change that."

Harry smiled into her shoulder, swallowing a lump in his throat, "I know, and that's why I shouldn't have been so hard on you about Malfoy."

Taken by complete surprise, she stepped away from his embrace, knitting her eyebrows together. He laughed briefly at the skepticism she exhibited before his face twisted into sternness, "But I still believe what I do, about him I mean." He looked around, "And unless you want to get tangled in that nasty business, I highly suggest keeping your distance from him."

Unsure of how to take Harry's contradicting apology and advice, she only frowned, disliking how he had reminded her of Draco being a deatheater; especially on her very own birthday. "I know, and…I am."

He smiled, nearly seeming apologetic, "Well, I'll see you around. I….er...hope you get a lot of gifts."

* * *

A body lay helplessly on the ground as snow fell over it, slowly layering it under white ice. Finally coherent enough to realize the cold, he wrapped his arms around his body, frantically shivering, but reminding himself to stay calm. He heard something that sounded much like a voice from afar. It echoed a familiar name, his name. At once he felt the deepest desire to respond whichever way he could, but his throat felt frozen, and not a sound left his lips when they fell ajar. He began to wonder how much longer he would be able to patiently wait for his rescuer to find him, without a clue as to where he was, no thanks to his incompetence. The voice was now close enough to recognize that it was a girl, and not just any girl. He knew exactly who it was, and he couldn't feel more relieved. Realizing he had to do something to help, he cautiously lifted his head from underneath the snow, using his arms to dig, enough to show his matted reddish-brown hair.

"Remus!" The woman called desperately, noticing the color surfacing over the white snow. She dug through the snow, pushing it off of him frantically, and wrapped him in the warmest sweater she had found in his closet.

"You alright? Oh! Of course you aren't alright!" said Tonks throatily, "Here, drink this."

He took the canister and drank, the warm liquid spreading throughout his body pleasantly. He continued drinking as she continued to speak.

"Last night was..bad, Remus. I've never seen you transform so…..what caused it?...you were there one second, and the next….gone…we couldn't find you anywhere." She trailed off, looking at him, "Can you stand? Oh nevermind, are you done with your tea?"

He nodded, wrapping an arm around him, using the other to pull a wand from her long coat, dissapparting them to his small, wooden, house. He walked, although with struggle, to his couch, as Tonks found a large blanket to lay over him. After a few moments of silence, he opened his eyes to find Tonks staring at him worriedly; her bright pink hair had even subdued to a mousy brown.

"This is exactly why." mumbled Remus.

"Why…what?" she repeated, not quite understanding him.

"You've asked me countless times," he said each word slowly, pacing himself, "why we can't be together, and _this_, is your answer."

She rolled her eyes, suddenly transforming her concern to aggravation, "And I've told _you_, I don't care! I worry about you, yes, that's the only dreadful thing about this; but I don't care if I have to search for you every day of my life, for the rest of my life! You're a werewolf, sometimes your transformations are worse than other nights, but it's a part of who you are; and I love who you are, furry _or_ human." She couldn't help but giggle, scolding herself for turning a very serious situation into something funny.

Remus smiled, suppressing a laugh himself, "And animal or not, I love who you are; despite the different color of the rainbow you hair decides to be."

Tonks paused, her lips parted. Remus eyed her curiously, wondering why she wasn't laughing at his joke.

"You said…you loved me." she breathed.

He _had_ said he loved her; but what was now plaguing him, was, he wasn't sure whether he meant it. "I'm sorr –"

"Don't," she said, "I know you didn't mean it…that way."

For a moment, he pondered this, he knew he loved her as a friend, and he fancied her. He was certainly attracted to her, he had been since the moment he first saw her; but due to his age and condition, he would've never thought she would reciprocate his feelings. And now she had, and for the first time in a very long time, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to put her at risk, he was an untamed beast, if anything happened to her because of him, he would forever be rueful.

Noticing how he had drifted off, she walked off towards the kitchen, noticing a small, box on the table. "What's this?" she called out, "the package on the table."

"It's Silver's birthday today." He said as loudly as he could, "I can't believe she's already seventeen."

Tonks, still tucked away in the kitchen, stared at the gift in her hands. He was so thoughtful, and caring. How could he have such low self-esteem about himself, she thought, he's such a great man, and doesn't even realize it.

"That's very sweet of you, Remus – she'll be happy to know you remembered."

He snorted, "Of course I remembered, how could I ever forget? Silver was the only thing preoccupying my thoughts for fifteen years, I had to look over her, for the sake of Lily and James." His thoughts meandered to the past, of better times with his dear friends.

"You know," he quietly began, "the day she was born, there was a furious snowstorm. We couldn't get Lily to hospital because we were snowed in at Godric's hollow – that's where they lived – and we couldn't apparate her, so she had the baby, right then and there. James was petrified. His daughter was about to be expelled, out of his wife, on the bed of their very own bedroom! He was hysterical, well at least Sirius and I thought so." his face softened, "But the moment she was born, everything changed, some omniscient feeling filled the room." Contrary to the happiness the memory brought him, his voice was still sad, "I'd never seen my dear friends so happy, and, that same moment, James looked at me and he told me… they both wanted me to be her godfather. So that, if anything should ever happen to them, I would raise her as my own, because there wasn't anyone else they would trust with such a responsibility."

At this point, Tonks was already diagonal from him, and at his pause, took the liberty of sitting beside him.

"For reasons I couldn't control, when that day did come, Silver was wrenched away from me – as was Harry, from Sirius. I had never felt more consumed in guilt than I did that day. I felt as if I had let James down."

"There was nothing you could do." whispered Tonks.

He smiled appreciatively, "I know, but I still felt like I hadn't tried hard enough to win custody of her. As if my best, just wasn't good enough."

"She wasn't safe with you, just as neither Harry was safe with Sirius. They would be found too easily by Voldermort."

"I understood that, when Dumbledore told me. I even agreed that it was the best option for the children. That's why I took it upon myself to look after her, until her and Harry were once again reunited, although, they weren't supposed to ever find out about each other."

"That part, I don't agree with. You can't deny two siblings of their right to know each other." said Tonks.

"I couldn't agree more. So when I found out she was being put with some maniacal convict from Azkaban, on probation, I was ready to question Dumbledore, beginning to think he, himself was mad. But he wasn't, he knew exactly what he was doing, as he always does."

"What, exactly, was his purpose? I'd thought it was to make a new man out of Barty Crouch Jr., but apparently, that isn't how it panned out."

"Because it wasn't." said Remus, "Crouch was hopeless. He had been drained of any, and all, good emotions a long time ago. Silver wasn't going to change that. But there were a few she had the chance of impacting in the process of being under his care; the children of these so called 'reformed deatheaters'. And although, most were too decidedly fixed on their ideas to sway, one of them, whom was the most stubbornly planted in Voldermort's ludicrous ideas, began to question them."

"Draco Malfoy." said Tonks knowingly.

"The very same; which goes to show, that Dumbledore's plan wasn't in vain. Silver was able to instill at least some morale in a younger Draco Malfoy, and it wasn't unnoticed by Lucius. He argued with Barty, accusing him of disloyalty to Voldermort, because of the way Silver remained unmoved in her ill-thought ideas against the man.

"So then, they both reached the decision to send her away, so that she could no longer have this unwelcome influence on his son." He considered this,"Personally, I think it's the best decision they ever made. Were it not for her moving to the states, who knows if she would've found herself to thinking just like them, perhaps even following her 'father's' footsteps and becoming a deatheater, herself."

"I couldn't imagine it."

"Fortunately, we don't have to." He said, taking her hand in his. An act she wasn't at all expecting, but grateful nonetheless.

* * *

Silver twisted her face, her nose scrunched, and her eyebrows creased. She couldn't quite put the right amount of force in her wand to perform the spell Snape was instructing them to do.

"Hold it like this."

She jerked her head to the side, following Draco's swift movements with his wand and mimicking them. A small red ember, finally, emitted from her wand. "Thanks." She said quietly.

Seemingly unaffected by her gratitude, he ignored her, unsure of how the best way to approach what he wanted to say next, was. Considering she had been avoiding him since the day Harry had seen them outside the room of requirements. He gathered himself, putting out an expression of indifference, "Happy birthday, by the way."

She seemed to be struggling for something to say, making him wish he hadn't even said anything in the first place; and it seemed after realizing words weren't far as meaningful as actions, she smiled shyly, her cheeks flushing a bit, and flickered her eyes away. Those butterflies in her stomach when their eyes met, she realized, would probably never go away; and her feelings seemed keen on counterarguing any traces of logic and reason.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took me so long to update! It's been pretty hectic. School's over, but a close friend of mine just broke up with her boyfriend and I've been on i-hate-boys-mode with her (which would be very unfair to Draco if I were to write him under that mindset of mine lol).**

**So instead I took the opportunity to write a little bit more about the relationship between Remus and Silver, and show some of the struggle's he's having with his feelings for Tonks. Personally, I really liked that part of the chapter, and I think I'll continue trying to incorporate them into upcoming chapters. (:**

**I hope you all have a fantastic day! And I will be giving a preview to anyone who reviews! (:**


	19. Bruised Apples and Relationships

**Bruised Apples and Relationships**

**

* * *

**

"Was I under the impression I would be taking Ron to Slughorn's Christmas party?" Hermione raised her nose in the air, "Yes. But for obvious reasons, that doesn't seem to be the plan anymore."

Silver and Harry looked up at her pacing figure, a trail of parted snow evidence of how fiercely she was stomping. They were discussing the twist of events in Hermione's ruined plans concerning the upcoming party that was only a mere eight days away.

"So you asked him to go with you, and he'd said yes. But now he's broken his promise and is no longer going with you?" asked Silver, only to make sure she properly receiving the information.

Hermione nodded, stopping to look at her.

"Ron's a slimy git." Silver said decidedly.

"Hey! He is not." Harry came to his friend's aide, "Lavenders his girlfriend now, he's obligated to take her."

"That isn't the point Harry."

Harry stared at her, "Oh, then what is?"

"Ron obviously fancies Hermione." responded Silver, pointedly.

"Wha-?"

"Yes, Harry. Haven't you noticed how they've interacted lately?"

He shook his head hesitantly.

"It's called flirting."

Harry's mouth fell open, "Ron….and Hermione?" He said on the verge of laughter.

"Yes, Harry!" said Hermione, suppressing a groan, "Why is it so difficult to believe?' She crossed her arms over her chest.

Harry seemed to be putting his highest efforts into wrapping his head around this piece of information, "It still doesn't justify him being a git. How's he supposed to know? _I_ didn't know!"

"Of course _you_ wouldn't notice. Hermione wasn't twirling her hair around _you_ was she?"

Harry made a face, consequently receiving a glare from Hermione, who then looked off after him and quietly pointed out Ron's figure approaching them.

"All right Harry?" Ron smiled as Lavender clung onto his arm. He noticed Hermione's unfriendly expression and then Silver sitting beside Harry. "Oh brilliant. Silver, this is Lavender."

Lavender frowned at the sight of her, Silver noticed.

"Oh! Isn't this a lovely coincidence." Silver pointed out in a saccharine voice, "I believe we've already met, haven't we Lavender? I yelled at you for in divinations for being a prat, if I recall correctly." She finished with a grin so wide, it almost seemed unnatural.

Ron, completely put off by Silver's reproach only stood there, awkwardly. Lavender only rolled her eyes, not even dignifying the brunette with a response, well except for one thing. "Are you sure she's your sister Harry? I simply can't imagine it."

"Are you sure you just pulled an actual sentence together? I simply can't imagine it." Silver rebuked.

Hermione seemingly amused, stared back and forth between them, when she caught Ron looking at her.

"Well, I'm off." She smiled casually at Harry, then at Lavender, "Very pleased to finally formally meet you Lavender. Looking forward to Divinations."

Hermione ran after her just seconds after her departure from the group, a cheeky smile spreading on her face, "That was bloody brilliant, Silver!"

"Wasn't it?" Silver feigned modesty.

Hermione fell into pace with her, "Who are you taking by the way, to the party I mean."

Her bravado disappeared, "I don't know."

"You aren't going with Malfoy?"

"Wait up!" Ginny's voice came from the distance, until she briefly grabbed Silver by the elbow to slow her down, "I ran into Ron and Lavender eating each other's faces off and Harry told me you two had just left."

"Probably to spare you the sight." Hermione said in disgust.

Ginny tittered, "I still can't believe Ron would get upset at me for snogging Dean! Those two are practically –"

"We're trying to find Silver a date." Hermione chipped in, clearly wanting to desperately change the subject.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, "A date. For what may I ask?"

"Slughorn's party of course." Hermione said.

"Oh, she's obviously taking Draco, Hermione."

Silver, feeling rather uncomfortable, peered over at her contentedly, preferring not to let on how truly distraught she was about her situation with Draco. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ginny."

The ginger failed at masking her dismay, "I can't believe you two haven't patched things up yet."

An older boy quickly ran by, screaming out a few obscenities as he tightly clutched onto something small and round, followed by Neville, who was desperately pleading for his remembrall to be given back to him.

Hermione rolled her eyes, adamantly wishing magic wasn't against the rules outside of class. Meanwhile, Ginny shook her head briefly, as if she were attempting to wash away the stupidity she had just witnessed, "Back to the subject." She said to Silver expectantly.

"We haven't. But, it's alright, I think. I can just….find someone else." She said, hesitantly.

It was obvious she didn't mean it, but Ginny thought it best to encourage her decision either way."Of course! You've got plenty of blokes fawning over you."

"Hardly."

"Shall I freshen your memory? Anthony, Fred, George, Dominic..-"

"Ok, ok, I've got it. Thanks." She said, looking around and hoping no one had heard.

"Look, it's Cormac!" Ginny pointed out.

Hermione ducked.

"Why d'you do that!" Silver laughed, "He's gorgeous!"

Ginny nodded endearingly, finding it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes off of him. "You should ask him to Slughorn's party."

"That ought to get Ron's knickers in a bunch."

Hermione seemed slightly swayed by the idea, "Do you think so?"

"Definitely." Ginny said, "Ron hates him more than anyone else. Well, not counting Malfoy." She cast Silver a sideways glance.

"I don't know." Hermione hesitated.

"Just do it! He'll say yes, count on it."

Ginny and Silver watched Hermione gather herself and nod, taking a huge leap of faith and approaching him in a stride. A chilly wind blew at them, and Silver pulled her sweater closer around her body, shivering slightly. Ginny was practically bouncing as Hermione and Cormac exchanged a few words, but she stood still at the sight of Hermione's expression as she walked back.

"He said, he was waiting for someone else to ask him." She didn't look disappointed, just a bit bedraggled.

Just then Silver caught a glimpse of Cormac give her a quick wink, before she averted her gaze elsewhere. "That's odd."

"Well, someone's got to ask him. How about you Silver?"

"Oh, I'd rather not." She was sure her cheeks were pink as a poesy.

"Well then, so who's it going to be?" Ginny demanded.

"I'm not obligated to take someone you know." insisted Silver.

"Well you certainly aren't going alone." said Ginny.

A group of girls tittered on by, giggling at the sight of Cormac who was now taking the liberty of stretching his muscles, for they seemed so incredibly sore from standing for just a few minutes.

"I'd honestly prefer just taking Dominic." Silver decided.

Ginny's mouth fell open, "You can't take Dominc! He'll get the wrong impression!"

"Will he?"

"Of course." She cocked her head, "he'll think you're reciprocating the feelings he has for you."

"By asking him to take me to accompany me to the party…as friends?"

"Yes."

Silver snorted, "Ginny, Dominic knows better than that.."

"Does he?" she interrupted scornfully, "Boys don't think straight when they're in love."

"When did Dominic's tiny crush turn into _love_?" said Hermione reasonably.

"Never, that's when." said Silver, scandalized.

Ginny ignored the question, "Take someone else."

Silver frowned, thinking of Blake and how selfish she was for even considering Dominic. Blake liked Dominic, and just because she wasn't here to say it, didn't mean she could go around taking him to parties. Ginny was right.

"I don't know anyone else." She said as her eyes landed on Draco stalking up a staircase a few feet away, "I don't want to take anyone else." She corrected herself.

"You've got to put it past you, Sil." She said, noticing what had distracted her. "There's plenty of fish in the sea, just have your pick." Ginny outstretched her arms, looking rather foolish.

But before Silver could answer, she had already run off, her green eyes focused solely on Draco as he rushed into a landing. She bumped into a few students on the way, ignoring their rude comments, and even paying no mind when Cormac yelled out her name. She nearly tripped on ascension, but steadied herself with the railing.

Draco was almost out of sight now and Silver anxiously waited for a set of stairs as it leisurely revolved around and then locked in front of her. She continued on her way, skipping two steps at a time, when she halted. She was nearly panting already, clearly not accustomed to this sort of exercise, but tried her hardest to control it amidst the quiet of the seventh floor. Nobody ever seemed to come up here, unless they were on their way to a tower or something. Poking her out forth into the corridor, she spotted Draco, just on the other end. Her breath caught upon the realization of her actions. Why had she even followed him up here?

She let her body rest against the doorframe, holding her head. What was she even thinking for coming up here to follow him? It was absurd. She was about to turn back, when a tall figure shadowed her.

"Might you need something Ms. Potter." Snape's montone drawl echoed throughout the corridor.

"No." she said a bit too quickly, "No I'm fine, thanks."

He cocked his head to the side, as if he were reading through her.

"Professor." She added.

The conversation had undoubtedly caught Draco's immediate attention.

Snape grunted, "Don't let me catch you doing anything..reckless."

"No, certainly not, sir."

He shot her a suspicious sideways glance before he sauntered down the steps. His clock casting a shadow behind him.

"You were _following_ me?" Draco scowled, his voice growing nearer.

She jerked her head around to see him walking towards her. "No!" she thought it over, "Yes, but it's just because I'm worried about you."

He snorted, "You don't have to worry about me."

"I wish I didn't have to," She glanced around the threshold, "but unfortunately, there isn't an off switch I can press."

His stony expression remained unchanged. He only averted his gaze towards the wall.

"What are you doing up here, Draco?" She beckoned him.

He succumbed to her piercing gaze, breathing loudly. "I'm using a room here."

"Which one?" She pressed.

He seemed to be struggling with his thoughts as his lips quivered, falling into a frown. "The Room of Requirements." He said hoarsely.

She inhaled deeply, debating as to whether she should question him further. At the end a mixture of concern and curiosity claimed victory. "What's in there that you need?"

"Secrecy." He said quietly, "A place where I can't be found."

She felt a pressure on her chest compress her from speaking. He looked so exhausted. He was thinner, and paler upon closer inspection. He looked worse than he did back in the train.

"D'you remember what you told me last year? About you-know-who recruiting.." she bit her lips to control the shakiness in her voice, "Has it begun?"

A dark shadow settled on Draco's face, "Yes." He said solemnly.

Her eyes were moist, tears threatening to emerge, but she brushed them aside. "What does that mean for you?"

The light in his grey eyes dimmed, replacing it with a rueful sneer. "How's your friend?" He asked, struggling to remain impassive.

He didn't have to say anything else. His lack of an answer was enough to tell Silver all she needed to know. Draco would soon be thrown into Voldermort's mercy, the only matter here was whether it was too late to stop it from happening. Harry was right, but he would never know it. She wasn't going to give him the pleasure, not now whilst Draco seemed so tainted.

"She's recovering. Slowly but surely."

His lips thinned, "Are you alright?"

"Are you?" she asked dismally.

He seemed so cold and empty, that receiving an answer other than "no" would be a complete lie.

"Like I said," He paused, "Don't worry about me."

She kept her eyes fixed on his face, hoping that reading further into him would mirror what he was really feeling, but to no success. At that moment she wanted to kick herself. In no way was she going to help him by distancing herself, rather she should've stayed by him, no matter how much more he broke her heart by pushing her away.

"You know, there's a Christmas party Slughorn's having." She began, in wishes to rekindle, both, the friendship and relationship she was stupid enough to end.

"I heard."

"Would you like to come?" She asked, desperately hoping he would.

His eyebrows arched, not expecting her to ask him. Quickly morphing his surprise when he suddenly began to feel angry that she did; she'd chucked him! Why would she be asking him such a question?

"No." He said indignantly, "Did you already forget?....We aren't together…..we're not even friends.."

She stepped backwards, startled at how dreadfully right he was.

"You decided that the day you chose to turn your back on me when things got a bit rough." He snapped, almost instantly regretting how icily he had spoken to her.

She stared back at him in disbelief, her eyes rimming in tears, "So that's what you think then? That I left you because things got '_rough'_?" She almost laughed, "You couldn't be any more oblivious to the truth than you are now. You know, at least when I've got a problem with something, I've got the nerve to talk about it, and not keep building it up inside, until you finally _explode!"_

For once he wasn't calm. His face wasn't masked with indifference and ambiguity. It was pleading for help, for _her_ help.

"I've never left you when you needed me." She continued sadly, "When your parents had those terrible arguments, I was there. Whenever your father punished you, I was there to sneak you away. And despite, everything that's been happening in my life recently – I still think about you and what it is that you can possibly be dealing with. I want nothing more than to just help you," her voice grew softer, "but I can't if you don't let me."

He was biting back tears, thankful for the settling darkness the setting sun cast through the open windows. "I can't burden you with this, with any of it."

Her understanding for Draco's intentions slightly broadened, but she still wasn't satisfied. She nodded repeatedly, "Okay. I can live with that."

But the truth was, she couldn't. He didn't realize that his turmoil, in turn, affected her as well. Her green eyes lingered over his silhouette, thinking back to the last time she had had the chance to hug him, or even touch him. "I'll see you around then."

And taking comfort in the grounds that they had reached a mutual understanding, she turned on her heel and simpered down the stairs, leaving Draco in the shadowy abyss of the seventh floor. His grey eyes watched after her, for a moment hoping she would turn around and keep talking to him, but she didn't.

He looked down at the fresh, red apple he was squeezing, and also went on his way, back to the room of requirement. He closed his eyes upon reaching the tapestry, thinking of what he would always ask from the room, and was transported inside. He looked around, stopping at the vanishing cabinet and lifted the apple up to level with his chin. Not a moment later, he threw it with all his force, straight into the cabinet, causing a loud _thud_ to echo around the cluttered room. He begrudgingly set off to look for it, cursing under his breath for his lack of better judgment, only finding it impossible to find anything in the current state the room was in. Upon realization that he had lost the fruit, he sulked down to his knees, clutching his face as he let his tears freely fall down his face, with only the sound of his quiet sobs surrounding him.

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**A/N: I know the ending was pretty angsty, but I love a little angst!  
I'm trying to update sooner, just because I know if I can't find time during the summer to do it, it'll be impossible once school starts up again.**

**Thank you for all your reviews (: They make me happy, please keep them coming! You will get a preview, so it's a win-win situation.**

**And before I leave you, I just wanted to let Hadleyconlon know what I am **so ridiculously** tan!!! :D :D  
**


	20. Awkward Tensions

**Awkward Tensions**

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Snow fell heavily upon Hogwarts, providing those who dwelled within, with unwelcome, freezing temperatures. Although the stony walls of the castle were enough to digress most of the cold, it still wasn't enough. Tonight was Slughorn's party, and Silver, choosing to ignore what was to come, was at the library finishing an assignment for Astronomy. Her eyes flickered around the room briefly, taking note, that, a student's primary purpose of the library was most often than not for social reasons. The parchment before her was nearly covered entirely in writing, but her hand was at a stand-still for most had their heads together in hushed conversation. Tapping the quill against the roll of paper again, more ferociously than the previous time, she soon found a large blob of ink instead of the period she intended.

Madame Pince rushed past her for the fifth time that morning, threatening a group of rowdy Gryffindors to silence. They obviously weren't taking her very seriously. A few girls tittered as Cormac and another boy recounted, what seemed to be, a very interesting piece of gossip. Her gaze fell on her slightly tanned hand, fingers firmly gripping a long feathery quill. Concentration was simply out of the question. She had pushed herself to finish to near completion, but she was struggling to regain enthusiasm to finish it.

"I don't understand." said a voice, awakening Silver back to reality.

"Oh, hi….what?" She said, setting her quill down at the sight of a ginger approaching.

"It's Saturday morning and, although ,I'd say the weather isn't up to par, it definitely isn't an excuse to hide in the library. What is that?"

"I've got to finish this for Astronomy."

"Well, when's it due?"

"Wednesday."

Ginny blinked, several times. "I understand less than I did before. And I was already fully confused, then."

Silver knitted her eyebrows together, "There is no reason why I shouldn't just get shot of it, is there? Nothing wrong with productivity."

"You're only avoiding what really matters most."

Silver raised a dark eyebrow questionably, "Schoolwork is what matters most."

"Rubbish. Boys are what matter most, and you've failed the subject, miserably." Ginny informed.

"Oh, by all means, don't beat around the bush."

"I'm serious."She said, deadpan.

"So am I!" Silver insisted, "Gin, really, I'm fine going alone. It'll be great."

"But you'd prefer to have a date."

"Well, of course, anyone would. But if it isn't meant to happen, it just isn't.." said Silver.

Ginny sighed, her way of voicing her lack of content with the decision Silver had reached. She looked over at Silver warily, feeling compelled to help her somehow. One thing was certain, Draco was no longer an option; not since their encounter in the seventh floor. The pair had settled for less tension around them with their sad excuses for conversation, one which Ginny had witnessed as she passed Silver's class after dismissal.

"Finished yet?" inquired Anthony as he walked past, slowly stopping after seeing her.

She looked up at him, "Almost."

"I've just only completed it." he said, unraveling the scroll to show her fifteen inches of writing.

She suppressed a groan. Why couldn't she be finished as well?

"That didn't take you very long." She frowned, "You've met Ginny?"

He smiled at her, "I have, actually."

Ginny reciprocated the greeting, giving Silver a face. She wanted her to take the opportunity and ask Anthony already, but Silver wasn't as smart as she usually was , apparently.

"Well, good luck then." He said, slowly beginning to walk away, when Ginny pinched Silver's arm, consequently, she called after him.

He took a few steps backwards, "Yes?"

"Listen, Anthony," she hesitated, casting Ginny an uneasy sideways glance, "I was only…wondering..if you were – busy tonight."

The light in Anthony's eyes was unmistakable; he knew where this was going. He tried to stem from grinning, "No, I'm actually..very unoccupied tonight."

Silver tried to smile, and when that failed, she faked it. "Oh, great. Would you like to come to Slughorn's party then, as friends, of course."

"Yea, I'd love to." He beamed, "Friends..definitely."

"I'll see you at around 8' o clock then?"

He nodded brightly, "Brilliant."

As soon as he was out of hearing range, Ginny smiled in satisfaction. "Better?"

Silver adamantly shook her head, "Worse. I _don't _ want to go with him."

"Well then, why'd you ask him?" she asked, completely scandalized.

"Because you asked me to get a date!" retorted Silver, accusingly.

"I didn't mean it had to be him!"

"Then why'd you pinch me?" Silver shut her eyes briefly, "It's just, he's my go-to guy, I suppose."

Ginny stared at her quizzically.

"I've already asked him to be my date last year, remember, and it obviously didn't work, so it's actually rather pointless to ask him out again."

"It's not." Ginny assured, "There might be something about him you missed before."

"No, trust me, there isn't." she responded with confidence, "He's an alright bloke, he's done things I'd prefer to forget about it, but I'm not going to hold it against him. There just isn't a…spark."

She made eye contact with Cormac, who seemed to be upset at something, at her. He pushed his seat back, stood, and marched towards her; looking positively gorgeous doing all three. Even the confusion and frown on his face presented a pleasant addition to his appearance.

"I thought you were going to ask _me._" said Cormac, loudly at first, but then lowering his voice.

In complete and utter disorientation, Silver put her highest efforts into knitting a worthy response, "I – um – I mean, I'm flattered…I think..but I don't think I ever gave that impression, did I?"

Ginny was downright flabbergasted, what with Cormac's large, broad shoulders over them, and his biceps flexing upon contact with the table, she'd forgotten her own name.

"No, but I expect it was obvious," he said, continuing after her puzzled expression remained unchanged, "I'm _Cormac McLaggen_, the handsomest in the school," adding after a moments pause in an undertone, "It's factual, I've taken surveys."

"You've got quite an ego haven't you, McLaggen?" Snorted Ginny.

Ignoring her, he rambled on, "You're Harry Potter's sister. He's "the chosen one", therefore, being quite influential, on a person's already brilliant reputation, of course."

"I don't follow." silver admitted.

"You and I are at the very top of the hierarchy, here, at Hogwarts."

Silver tried visualizing a triangular shaped pyramid, the tip top closely split into three names; Harry, Silver, and Cormac. Of course, this wasn't how she would imagine the pyramid to rank her, were it if she would ever classify social circles into shapes. Which, she probably wouldn't.

Under the dim lights of the library, Cormac seemed to have developed an eerie look about him, as he lowered his head right beneath a lamplight.

"Would you do me the honor, Silver Potter, of perfecting, then, my already divine reputation?" he finished, very seriously.

Suddenly overwhelmed with a serious case of the giggles, Silver couldn't suppress her laughter. Cormac couldn't be serious! He was a complete nutter, if he was! His face twisted as he stared at her indignantly, unhappy with her reaction, which only made Silver find more humor in the situation at hand.

"I-I'm sorry, Cormac," she began, shutting her lips tightly in an effort to lock away the giggles, "But, no, I don't think I'm qualified, unfortunately, for that so very, staid responsibility."

His indignation burned hotter than ever, or it could've been the heat of the lamp so close to his head, but either way, he was still angry. "Right, have it your way then. It's your loss really."

Madame Pince was 'round the corner, heaving some books onto a shelf and cursing under her breath about irresponsible students, leaving their books behind as she peered over at Cormac ferociously.

"You've lost so much, Silver, it's just overwhelming." jeered Ginny, playfully.

"Oh shut it will you?" Silver crackled, still unable to stabilize herself.

"I can't believe he was serious."

"Neither can I! I expect he's taken one too many quaffles to the head."

"If only that were true, don't you remember, he never even made the team. Ron beat him to it."

Giving Silver even more of a reason to think him insane, "You're right. What a waste, bloody gorgeous, only hasn't got a single brain cell."

"I don't mind." Ginny admitted, "I'll take him as he is, stupid and all."

As night approached, the girls went their separate ways, each to their own dormitory for some much needed pampering. Silver, as she was getting ready, couldn't fight off the funny feeling about recent events. What was it that she had been doing differently that boys seemed to sprout from the ground to be with her. Cormac had made his intentions clear, but surely neither Anthony nor Dominic fancied her because of her brother's social standing.

"I've got it." Luna said, moving across Silver to the other end of the room, "I reckon they're suddenly interested, because of your bad girl image."

Silver's jaw dropped, "I don't have a –"

"Sure you do." Added Luna, now lying on the floor with her head hidden beneath the bed, only her peeking blonde hair serving as evidence she was still present. "You were going out with Draco Malfoy, and he, in case you might've missed, is a bad boy."

"I hadn't noticed." Silver replied sarcastically.

Her head surfaced, a pair of heels in one hand, as she hoisted herself up with the other, "So most assume you've done, well, bad things.."

Silver blinked, Savannahs newfound presence unnoticed by her.

"Who's done bad things?" she said as Silver jumped with surprise.

"Apparently I have." Silver said skeptically, after getting over her sudden appearance.

Savannah looked positively alight with this piece of gossip, "I know you were dating Malfoy, but you didn't seem the type to….well, I'd imagine you know…did he pressure you? or were you willing?"

Luna slumped on her bed, looking embarrassed, "I'd imagine you'd told me."

Silver, still not quite understanding, suddenly felt as if she had been hit on the head with a boulder, "Wait…you're trying to tell me that I'm suddenly interesting to everyone, because they think I'm a _slut_?" She said, nearly screaming.

Savannah ran to the door, slamming it shut. "As your friend, I'd advise you don't brag about that, especially not yelling."

"But I'm not! I haven't…Draco….we didn't…."rambled Silver, beginning to feel really warm despite the temperature outside.

"so you didn't.." Luna cocked her head to the side, examining the brunette.

"No! we've kissed, that's it!" stated Silver abrasively.

There was a loud _crack_ from the floorboard outside the door. Silver froze, as did the two girls.

"Bloody fantastic! Who else needs to know?" Silver bellowed, quickly reaching the door and swinging it open.

"What are you doing, Terry?" asked Savannah, completely taken aback by the compromising position she'd found her boyfriend in.

His pale face gradually turned several shades of red, "I….i've only dropped something."

Unmoved by his proposed explanation, Savannah stood beside Silver, arms crossed over her chest, "Go, run off Terry, be a child and tell all your little friends."

He looked positively mortified, "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to listen –"

"You know," Savannah began scrutinizing him, "I didn't think the age difference would be a problem, Terry, but as time passes, I realize, it does. You're nowhere near my maturity level." She sighed.

"Would you just listen to me –?"

"Just stop it. I'm graduating in a few months anyways, it might be best if we…took a break."

"Are you breaking up with me in front of your friends?" Terry, suddenly finding his words again, said in complete outrage.

Unfazed by his hurt, or doing a very good job disguising it, Silver noticed, Savannah remained relatively bored with him, "I said a break, if you wish to break up then."

Still in disbelief, he continued, "I'm not going to discuss this now. Come into my dormitory later tonight, and we'll talk about it."

And lacking the ambition to lose any more of his dignity in front of the three of them, he marched off, enraged.

Savannah shut the door, looking down at the knob, and then facing Silver, "So, you've snogged him, that's it?"

A weird silence spread amongst them, Luna and Silver both not knowing how to react to what they'd just witnessed. Luna's round, blue eyes drifted around the room, in effort to avoid the scene.

"You've just broken up with your boyfriend of two years, and you're asking me if I've snogged Draco?" stated Silver, still in a state of confusion.

"He'll get over it." Savannah shrugged, loosening her hair out of a braid.

"It doesn't look like he will." added Luna, pointedly.

Savannah walked around Silver and towards the bathroom door, "We've been rocky for quite some time. He's just going to have to get over it." she said before turning the knob and entering, leaving Silver and Luna to exchange worried glances.

As the party inched nearer, girls began to wonder why Luna and Silver were dressing so nicely. A few asked, and frowned at the answer, unhappy with their lack of an invitation. Luna was finally ready, wearing a very odd dress, making her looks like she had rings floating around her. But once Silver made it past the initial shock of it, the effect was quite pretty. Silver opted for a more normal alternative, wearing an above-the-knee, black, silk dress with elegant black heels to match.

"Alright, Silver?" Luna asked as she picked up her beaded bag.

Silver sat at the edge of her bed, her arms wrapped over her stomach as if she was in excruciating pain. "I take it back, I don't want to go anymore."

Luna, not understanding her strange behavior, stared at her oddly, "But, why on earth not?"

"I just..don't think I should've invited Anthony."

"You should've asked Draco."

Mentally noting Luna's firm grasp of the obvious, Silver proceeded to letting her head fall into her knees, "I did, and he said no."

"That's peculiar." Luna let her thoughts wander, "but it's too late now. Anthony's waiting for you downstairs."

She jerked her head up again, causing herself a surge of brief dizziness, when she realized something. "I haven't even bothered to wonder, Luna, who's asked you to go with him?"

"Harry."

"Harry?"

"Yes."

"That was…nice of him." said Silver questionably.

"It was last minute, he'd painted his eyebrow yellow, you see, when he asked." Luna recalled pleasantly, "He said I shouldn't paint mine, but I wouldn't have minded."

"Alright, well that's really…something." She said slowly, not finding the ability to imagine Harry with a yellow eyebrow, nor his desire to do so.

"Shall we go?

"Yes, I think we shall." Silver said, still feeling quite uncertain about the night that lay ahead.

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**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! The story reached past the 100 mark! :D :D I'm really glad you're all enjoying the story.**  
**Sorry I haven't updated in so long! My head's been going back and forth with different things I want to happen in this & the next chapter, so I've been deleting, rewriting, and undoing quite a lot. lol **

**So, that bit at the dormitory was a little awkward for Silver, but I thought it would be funny since that's a topic almost everyone faces in a relationship; and then the fact that based on someone's reputation and whatnot, the things people assume in their heads just by mere association with the person.**

**So anywhoo, I hope you all like the chapter! The next one's going to be sort of shocking (if I dont change my mind about it again, that is).**  
**Please review! :D **


	21. Christmas Party

**Christmas Party**

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_and no need to wonder__  
__what's been on my mind__  
__it's you_

_Joshua Radin_

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"Yes, I think we shall." Silver said, still feeling quite uncertain about the night that lay ahead.

A half hour later, Luna's statements were validated, Harry was indeed her date for the night. The four of them walked together down to Slughorn's office, which seemed to look bigger than it did on a normal day. There were crimson and gold draperies hanging from the roof, making the room seem like a festive outdoor tent rather than a teacher's study. The room was already crowded, although it was still relatively early, as Harry squeezed inside first. She instantly regretted sending him in before her as the voice of Professor Slughorn boomed in elation at the sight of him. Dreading that Slughorn would take him away, leaving only Anthony and her, she fought against the gaggle, mistakenly hitting someone shorter than her on the face but finding no time to apologize. She nearly groaned when she'd discovered both Luna and Harry were gone.

"Are you in a hurry? You hit Flitwick in the face, you realize that?" asked a bemused Anthony.

Silver ignored him, although feeling a tinge of regret for the poor man, but ignored him nonetheless. Her eyes wandered about the room, searching for anyone she knew, when she unfortunately caught Cormac staring at her resentfully. And if he was here, that means someone else had brought him, but who?

"Let's go this way." Silver elbowed Anthony, careful to have the least physical contact with him.

"Why, hello there Cormac." Silver said pleasantly, not devoting her complete attention to him, but rather the rest of the room.

"I'm better than you." Cormac said to Anthony, sizing him up.

"Excuse me?" Anthony asked, looking hopelessly confused.

"He's a prefect for godssake!" Cormac was now addressing the side of Silver's face, "I only need look at him to tell he's the most boring bloke on the planet."

"Pardon me, McLaggen, but you have no right to judge how boring I am!" He carefully examined his words and added, "Which I'm not."

"Who'd you bring?" Silver asked, dismissing their earlier dispute.

"Hermione Granger."

"You're barking!" Anthony rebutted, "She's a prefect, too! Is she an exception, then? Not as boring as the rest of us."

"Exactly." said Cormac.

"Wonderful! Where is she then?" asked Silver.

"Dunno. She wandered off." Cormac told her, growing annoyed.

She frowned, casting Anthony a sideways glance, "Well, you look smart Cormac. Doesn't he, Anthony?"

Anthony's blue eyes widened, "Divine. I'm so glad you've noticed."

"Of course, you look lovely just as well." Silver smiled before catching sight of a ginger up ahead, "Ginny? Ginny!"

"Silver! There you are! Oh look at how lovely you look."

"Thanks, so do you."

"Hey Anthony..Cormac." She greeted them, then looking at Silver once again, "Care for some mead? We can go get a glass-"

"Yes, _please._" said Silver, looking rather desperate, "I'll be right back, you two have fun." Noticing Ginny's skepticism she added, lowering her voice, "They'll be perfectly fine."

Ginny poured the liquid contents of a bottle into Silver's goblet. "Dean's been talking to Neville all night. Seems he's taking me asking him for some independence a bit too seriously. "

Silver laughed, "I'd better get some for Anthony, I suppose."

Silver and Ginny threw themselves into the throng again, carefully balancing the mead. Anthony thanked her as she handed him the goblet.

"Still haven't found Hermione?" Silver asked Cormac, who seemed had finally reached his boiling point with Anthony and stalked off, leaving Silver's question unanswered.

After a short while, the mead in their system made conversation a lot more fluid between Silver and Anthony, Ginny even finding the need to barricade Dean somewhere in a dark corner.

"I'll bet Dean's a very happy man right now." Said Silver laughing.

"Ginny looked determined…I wouldn't doubt it." said Anthony tittering as much as she was.

"Shall we find them and make them hate us?"

Anthony lowered his head, "Or, maybe we should do something else.."

"What?" she asked stupidly, completely oblivious to Anthony's silent pleads.

His face inched closer to Silvers, his smile beginning to fade, when he was interrupted by the voice of Filch bellowing out Slughorn's name right beside him.

Silver separated from him, and turned her head, coming face to face with Draco – who had seen the whole scene. Slughorn and Filch were exchanging a few words, but she hardly noticed, because her full attention was on Draco. He looked ill. His skin looked almost grey instead of pale. His platinum blonde hair was unkempt, and there were noticeably defined dark circles under his resentment-filled silver eyes. She resisted the urge to approach him and make sure he was real because he looked so frail.

"Alright I wasn't invited!" He said, loosening himself from Filch's grip, "Now, let me go."

"Do as he says, Argus!" said Slughorn gleefully, "The poor boy only wanted to attend the party! It's Christmas! Let him stay and enjoy the fun."

"I'd prefer to have a word with him for a moment." Snape intervened, acknowledging Slughorn crossly.

"Well, alright, Severus. Don't be too hard on the dear boy." said Slughorn, determined to lighten the mood.

"I think that's up for me to decide." said Snape before grabbing Draco's arm and leading him out.

Slughorn stared after them for a brief moment, before he began waving his arms in the air, "C'mon! back to the party, everyone, enjoy yourselves!"

Anthony, noticing Silver's frazzled expression, took her by either shoulder, "Now, where were we?"

"Huh –"

And before she knew it, Anthony's lips were pressed onto hers. His hands travelled up to her neck as she remained stationary, still in shock, but not at what Anthony had done, but at the fact that she was now kissing him back. Her emotions were so overwhelming, she began to feel tears sting at her eyes. Thoughts of Draco filled her mind, and for a moment she had convinced herself that it was him she was kissing. Anthony pulled her body closer to his, letting his hand graze over her waist slowly, feeling the silk come in contact with her skin. She liked the feeling of being held again, of being loved, but it was a matter of seconds before realization struck her, hard. She opened her eyes and jumped out of his embrace, tears spilling from her eyes. She wanted to slap him, but she knew she couldn't, for she was just as much at fault for this then he was, and without the slightest inclination to linger any longer, she left.

It wasn't something to cry over, she sternly told herself to quiet the tears. The last thing she needed was for someone to stop her and ask her what was wrong as she made her way out of the aggregate of handsomely dressed students, she would otherwise see in black robes were it not for the special occasion. She'd finally managed to find the entrance, which also functioned as the exit, and grabbed a hold of the knob, searching the room once more without an intended target, when her eyes landed on a grand clock hanging from above an ornately carved mantle. It was barely 10:30. She felt a wash of regret for leaving Anthony, but it was soon forgotten. Candlelight illuminated the corridor outside of Slughorn's office, more than usual, providing some comfort for Silver. The clacking of her heels against the floor beneath her echoed off the walls. Deciding she found the sound a bit unsettling, she slipped her shoes off, holding them in one hand. The sudden contact of her bare feet against the cold marble floor produced cursory goosebumps all along her skin.

She had an epic flaw, Silver, like most did in their characters, and it was her negligence to the present. Often, she reveled far too much in her thoughts, leaving her unfocused to the world around her. And it was that very flaw that conned her when she failed to notice a rather upset Snape walking in her direction. Luckily, she'd travelled far enough from the office and she was once again subjected to poor lighting, giving her just the advantage to slide behind a column. Her heart leapt in her chest. Snape had stopped walking. She thought he had seen her, and her mind was already spiraling with the types of punishments she would receive. Then there was another rhythmic pounding against the marble, for a moment she thought Snape had continued walking, but it sounded far away, and she would've seen him walk by if he had.

"You can't keep telling me what to do, Snape." A harsh, yet quiet, voice cut through the silence like a knife, causing her heart to leap unreasonably, for she knew straightaway who it was.

"Retire to your dormitory, Draco, don't _make_ me repeat myself." The sound of his cloak whipping around was enough to signal he had turned around to face Draco.

"I've told you, I can't." His voice was almost unrecognizable; shrill due to his efforts in keeping his voice down, "I've got something to finish before the night's over."

"Not another one of your ill-thought plans is it?" Snape jeered.

"It would've worked –"

"Don't be so naïve, Draco, you're but a mere…boy." Snape's said in a patronizing tone.

"I was chosen for this. _Me_. Not you!" Draco said, not proudly, not with any emotion at all, he only said it, "You're just jealous it wasn't you, he chose."

Snape laughed; a sarcastic, throaty, unpleasant sound. "Stop thinking like such a child; this isn't a game, it's serious. It isn't another bickering amongst you and a schoolmate."

There it was again. Snape was trying his best to belittle Draco. And it seemed as if that was how Snape was planning to end their conversation, as he walked away. Silver fell further into the shadows, scared Snape would turn around and see her; but he was gone now. Draco was breathing heavily, nearly panting. Was it because he was angry or frustrated? Silver wondered. Or was it because Snape had displayed such condescension towards him?

She didn't realize her legs were moving, she wanted so badly to see Draco, to learn something about his struggles. There was knot in her empty stomach, not helping her inadequate nourishment for the night.

"Draco." she whispered, but despite her efforts, the echo bounced off the walls, making it louder than she'd intended.

He jumped, startled. His eyes perused over her, examining the state she was in. Barefoot, a short black dress, her hair undone from something that used to look like an updo. He shut his eyes, inhaling a shaky breath.

"I don't want to be here." He admitted aloud. "I don't want to be…_me_."

She watched him as he put both hands on the very top of his blonde head.

"I can't do anything right." He continued to say as his eyes remained closed. He needed to get everything off his chest, and not seeing her would make it easier.

"I _am _just a child. I don't know what I'm doing! I'm only sixteen." He pleaded, "Snape can't protect me, it's all up to me…all of it. I have to do it all on my own!"

Empathetic to his declarations, she stepped closer to him, although, maintaining her distance.

He swallowed back a lump forming in his throat, "Everything that's important to me, I've ruined. I don't have a future. I've lost my ambitions. I've lost my father, and I will my mother, if I'm not careful." The words stung as he said them, frowning, he finally opened his eyes to find her standing just a few feet away. "I've lost my best friend…my girlfriend. The only person I've ever loved more than I could even fathom." He was biting back tears, "I couldn't even keep you happy."

"You haven't –" she tried explaining to him otherwise, but he interrupted.

"But, I've decided, you deserve it. You deserve so much better than me. Goldstein would never do the things I've done to you, the pain I've caused…"

"You haven't lost me." said Silver quickly, before he meandered off into another monologue of self-loathing.

He searched her face, feeling a little better after finding no trace of contradiction.

"I tried," she began, pursing her lips briefly, "I decided to go out with Anthony, I flirted with Cormac. But for some reason, I couldn't get you out of my head, Draco, why can't we both just understand it?" she suppressed the urge to growl, "I want to be with you…and you want to be with me."

He raked his brains for a counterargument, Merlin knows he tried, but he just couldn't fight with the truth anymore.

"He kissed me, Anthony."

Before she could even continue, he already felt his blood boiling, and images of several ways to kill Anthony filled his head.

"That was a bit, climatic, I think. It hit me with the rather disturbing reality that I could, possibly, never fully let go of you."

"It didn't take me very long to realize it; in fact…..I've accepted that for a long time…..i think, since I was eleven."

Silver's face twisted oddly, in her efforts to suppress a smile, for the muscles on her face suddenly felt light.

"I was stupid. I don't care, whether…the whole school knows I'm completely in love with you. I don't care that…you're Potter's sister…if it's one thing that's kept me sane this entire time, it was knowing, or hoping, that if you still loved me, I wouldn't be so careless this time. Keeping us a secret was the worst thing I could've ever done. I'm not ashamed of you, Silver, I never have been…but I think there was a point that, I convinced myself I was...because – well, I didn't want to drag you into my deranged life."

"You act like I haven't seen it all before!" she walked closer to him, "I've seen it all before, I know what it's like to live in fear, we went through it _together_, remember?"

He nodded, feeling a lot better than he had in months, "That's how it feels now, I'm scared, Silver."

The moonlight hung over them, the sounds of people laughing from the party filled their ears.

"What are you scared of?"

He inhaled a deep breath, "Not finishing what I started."

Without further thought, she approached him, balancing herself on tiptoes and planted a small, gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Don't let fear dictate what you can, or cannot do."

And before she was able to separate, he cradled her face in his hands, gingerly brushing his thumb on her cheek. Her cheeks reddened at this touch, and he smiled fondly. "Please, don't break up with me ever again."

She sighed teasingly, "Fine…I suppose I wont."

And then she felt his lips on hers, her entire body tingling in euphoria. His longing for her was evident in the kiss, the way he held her so tightly; half expecting she would leave him again. Her hands climbed up to his strong chest, enjoying the feeling of having him so close again.

For a moment she laughed inwardly, reminiscing back to when they were younger. She would've never expected herself to feel this way for her childhood friend; and to think she would've never seen him again, were it not for Barty's imprisonment.

Feeling short of breath, she pulled away for air, where he responded by wrapping his arms tighter around her waist and tenderly placing brief kisses around her face. She laughed softly at his persistence.

"Stop it, there's people coming." She urged sweetly.

He kissed her forehead again before answering, "I don't mind."

She put both hands on either cheek, "Well I do. I don't want to be caught snogging in the middle of a corridor."

He frowned, "You don't want to be caught snogging, or you don't want to be caught snogging _me_?"

"The first one." She said quickly, "I don't like people watching, it's uncomfortable. Anyways, you're already in trouble for 'gate-crashing'."

He smirked, "Alright, I reckon your right."

She looked into his eyes, seeing a clear reflection of her smiling face on the grey surface, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He kissed her once more, "Yes."

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**A/N: Ahh I finally finished this chapter! I'v****e had so many distractions lately, I thought it was going to be impossible! I've actually been looking for a summer job, and it's so difficult. There isn't anyone in the world that's hiring, and the few interviews I've gone to have all been an epic fail –because I haven't been hired. -_-**

**At least writing gives me the time to relax and not thinking about my failed attempts in the job market, which is something I need to realize more often, because most days I feel like I'll just stress myself out even more since I had a case of writer's block –but it was quite the opposite.**

**Anyway, back to the story. Thank you guys for reviewing! I'm sorry I couldn't get back to each of you individually as I usually like to do, but I'm handing out previews for the next chapter! Woo! :D**

**So hit me up with a review, and you'll get a preview! You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours (; Sorry, that was a terrible comparison/analogy lol**


	22. Decoding the Inner Wolf

**Decoding the Inner Wolf**

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"You look well." Smiled Remus as he pointed, his wand in one hand, at the doorknob and carried Silver's travelling trunk in the other. They had been let out for Christmas Holidays the morning after the Yule Ball, and Silver was indeed feeling a bit, euphoric.

She smiled bashfully, "I am, thanks…and what have you been up to here?" she said, examining the small wooden house as she walked in, Hermes in hand.

"Not much, really. I've only been keeping myself busy." replied Remus, wading through the room as he avoided eye contact. "Did you like my present?"

Admittedly, she'd found his choice for a present particularly odd, but she understood why he'd sent it, although she wasn't supposed to, "It was," she mulled over her word choices, "very instructing."

"I thought you might enjoy it, although, I admit, there are reasons why I needed you to read the book."

As he spoke, she bent her knees and rummaged her trunk for _Decoding the inner wolf_ by Berbina Specktor. Finally reaching the rather thickly binded book, she held it up to her chest and faced her godfather once more.

"I already know, Remus."

His eyes widened in bewilderment. "How-?"

"Dumbledore told me…when he found me wandering around that muggle street in the summer."

He nodded, signaling a sense of understanding, "I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell you.."

"It's alright. I understand why you didn't." said Silver, her hand gingerly fingered the edges of the hardcover. "I know it's difficult to deal with, and the sense of shame that comes with it…" she continued carefully, "the book says most don't even leave their homes once they've been bitten..you've been so strong."

"Quite the contrary –"

"No." she insisted forcefully, "You've done so much…the fact that you're a werewolf shouldn't even matter to anyone….it doesn't matter to me."

He smiled sadly, but there was gratitude in his brown eyes. "That's why I preferred you stayed with the Weasley's, it wasn't because I didn't want you to continue living here."

"I know." she reassured him, "but I've read the book, and now I'm prepared."

"It's going to happen soon, the moon's changing." said Remus in a pensive state, "I reckon around Christmas."

Christmas was only a day away, and despite her promises, she felt more scared than she had ever been; more than she had been when she was captured by Bellatrix. She feared for Remus, and for how well she would cope with his new, aggressive behaviors when the day came. "And we'll be ready."

As Remus helped Silver unpack in her bedroom, they talked about her classes and grades, meandering off into her friends at times. She told him about the eccentric, yet undeniably loveable qualities of Luna; about Ginny, and how close they had become, Silver even growing to call her one of her best friends; about Dominic being absolutely lovely and hilarious; until the conversation took a more somber turn when Blake was mentioned.

"I heard," Remus said gravely, "Poor girl. But she's well on her way to a full recovery, isn't she?"

"Fortunately, yes, she was very lucky, McGonagall said, to have survived it." responded Silver quietly, feeling morose for bringing up the topic.

And then there was a loud crack downstairs, Remus straightened his shoulders, alert. He had an idea of who it might be, but just to be safe, he reached for inside his coat for his wand. "Stay here."

She stayed rooted to the spot, her hands holding a t-shirt in mid-air being as she was in the process of folding it. Watching him exit the door, and creak down the steps was nerve-wrecking, and for added security, she too reached for her wand lying on the bed, prepared for the worst.

But then she heard a woman laugh, and a man grunt angrily; and not a moment later, Tonks appeared through the door, a pouting Remus behind her.

"I've told you to disapparate outside." He said grumpily, but she causally ignored him.

"Silver! How are you darling? Everything alright?"

"Alright, thanks." said Silver, happy to see Tonks again. "I was hoping you'd stop by."

Tonks, now kneeling beside her on the floor, turned her head back at Remus and stuck out her tongue at him. "I told you she would."

Remus smiled, tension lifting off of him, "Simply having me isn't enough, then?"

"Absolutely not." said Tonks jokingly.

"Remus, you simply cannot deny me of the right to see Tonks!" added Silver for good measure.

Realizing the tables had turned on him, Remus only sighed in amusement, "I've been outnumbered, I see."

"Undoubtedly, I'm afraid." said Tonks.

"In my own house?" he feigned outrage.

"It's quite unfortunate."

He only laughed, until Silver realized how unfamiliar the sound was to her. He had probably laughed once, if at all, the times she had spent with him.

"I suppose I'll go put on a pot of tea, for Silver and I." he said.

Tonks glared, but decided it was enough for him to leave downstairs.

"He hardly laughs." Silver pointed out, "and when he does, it's usually when you're around."

Tonks cheeks reddened unwillingly. "Really?"

Silver nodded, a smile forming on her lips, "I think you make him happy."

Her mousy brown hair nearly changed colors, "He makes me happy."

"You understand better than anyone then, don't you?"

"Understand what, love?" asked Tonks.

"That if someone truly makes you happy….it doesn't matter _what_ or _who_ he is."

"It shouldn't. Not if you love them."

Silver looked down at her hands clasped over her knees, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off her, "I thought so."

Tonks surveyed Silver closely, first with hesitation, then with fondness. "I thought it was a passing fancy, your feelings for Malfoy's son. But when you've grasped a firm understanding of the history surrounding the both of you, you begin to understand it was only meant to happen."

Silver faced her, "I understand why our relationship would be seen with such disdain. He's known to be such an awful, hateful person. He isn't. He's quite sarcastic, sometimes even arrogant, but he's incapable of procuring the hatred his family has raised him in.

Lucius was quite overbearing as a father, far less nurturing than you'd imagine a father should be. He loved Draco, but he loved the world's cleansing of unpure blood and Voldermort far more; just like Barty. You know, it's the parents fault for the way their children turned out; we were always put second place, and made to feel rather unimportant in comparison to…..him."

"Such narrow-minded blindness." said Tonks disapprovingly, "if only they were left to their own disruptive thoughts without protruding them onto innocent others."

"That's why I need to help him. I am lucky enough to have escaped all of that, Tonks, but he isn't."

Tonks felt admiration for Silver; she was so young, yet so strong and determined and selfless. She possessed the same qualities her brother did, and at that moment she witnessed the familial heir of the Potter's, feeling sad that she had never met Lily or James, for they would've been quite a sight to behold.

Morning dawned the next day, and Silver felt relieved she had taken the school's most recent trip to Hogsmeade to find presents for her friends and family, when she woke up to find Tonks wrapping a batchful of things in the drawing room. She appeared to have just apparated from Diagon alley, or somewhere similar, only just having finished her Christmas shopping.

"Morning, Tonks." Silver said, leaning against the doorframe in a fluffy robe; which she slept in, in addition to her footed pajamas - although they made her feel like a child, but the house was unsuccessful at blocking out the cold from the outside, not at all like Hogwarts.

"Nice pajamas." said Tonks, and consequently Silver to wiggled her toes. Tonks laughed, "Remus has breakfast for you downstairs, you slept for quite a bit, once you're done I'd eternally worship you if you'd come up here and help me finish wrapping these."

"I'll hold you to that offer."

"Fred, George!" cried Molly Weasley as her sons decided it would be funny to watch Ron's hair turn booger green.

"Mum!" called Ron out in outrage, stealing the knife Harry was using to cut onions and running after them.

Amongst Molly's angry protests, Fred and George were laughing heartily, every now and then teasing Ron by standing still, allowing him to catch up, before sprinting off again. "Oh, you be careful there Wonnie! Didn't mum teach you not to run around with sharp objects?" George mocked, whipping out his wand and disarming Ron.

Ron frowned, looking at his now empty hand.

"I'm going to need that to finish cutting these." said Harry, suppressing laughter as best he could.

Ron seemed to notice and muttered, "Shut up, Harry" as he walked past him and fell back into his seat, hunched in dismay.

"Clever." Said George, handing the knife over to Fred who then gave it to Harry, "I wonder what it's like to not use magic, don't you Fred?"

"Bless them." He responded, sitting next to Ron, whom was still pointedly making an effort to ignore them.

"Here you go then." Said George, passing Ron another knife under the commands of his mother so he could help Harry.

"You watch." said Ron with pointed determination, "I turn seventeen in just a month's time and I'll –"

"Dazzle us with your unsuspected magical skills?" added Fred.

"And perhaps, once you've established your extraordinary recently discovered skills, you can apply a spell to your bleeding finger."

Ron, concentrated on George, looked down to discover he had cut himself with the knife without even realizing it.

"Whoops-a-daisy!" said Fred.

"I hate you."

"Ouch! That hurts." said George.

"Your snappy retorts are quite offensive, Ronald." continued Fred.

Mrs. Weasley reappeared through the door, looking a bit frazzled. Ron, on the precipice of throwing a knife at his unsuspecting brothers, moved a little in his seat when his mother entered.

"I'm sorry dears, but we've had some changes to the bedroom arrangements. Remus is arriving tonight, with Silver and Tonks –"

"No worries mum! We can squeeze Silver in with us." said Fred innocently, batting his lashes.

Molly threw him a ferocious stare, "Absolutely not."

"That _is_ my sister you're talking about, you know." said Harry, agreeing with Mrs. Weasley.

Fred and George looked at each other, smiling, "Harry, you know you're always our number one Potter."

Harry couldn't help but laugh, whereas Mrs. Weasley continued talking, "Bill will squeeze in with you two, and Ginny can share with Silver and Fleur –"

"-I expect Ginny's ecstatic about Fleur-" Fred muttered.

"-and that leaves, Tonks, I'll have to find somewhere for her. Harry and Ron can go up in the basement."

"That's alright with us, mum." said Ron.

Mrs. Weasley nodded appreciatively, setting off across the kitchen and into the back garden.

Remus threw floo powder into the chimney, instructing Tonks to go in first, then Silver, and then himself. Her body felt weightless, as if she didn't have one, as there were twirling spirals all around her as she passed different fireplaces and doors on the way. She heard Remus shouting above her, and although she couldn't understand, Tonks seemed to and she let herself be pulled into a nearby exit. Silver followed, still disliking the weird feeling of travelling by means of the floo, and was whooshed into, what she believed was, the Weasley's outside shed. She looked around for Tonks, finding that she was removing her travelling cloak and setting it on a coat hanger. Silver did the same, although finding it a bit strange to leave her cloak there, revealing her jeans and sweater. She thought back to last Christmas at the Malfoy's and the striking contrast of both events. Last year's Christmas was an elegant affair, with a large party at the manor and long, expensive dresses. This year she was at the burrow, celebrating with her brother and godfather, with the simplest of attire. She rather enjoyed the change, finding the company of her family more comforting than being in a room full of Socialites and, what she believed to be at the time, former death-eaters.

"I think they're here mum!" she heard Ginny from somewhere inside the house.

Silver, standing in between Tonks and Remus, watched as the door opened and revealed a ginger, and then another, and then another. One broke away from the rest, running towards Silver and hugging her, consequently, the latter nearly losing her balance. She gave each Tonks and Lupin a peck on the cheek and led them towards the house. Their greeting was just as enthusiastic as Ginny's once they'd reached inside. Fred and George hoisted her in the air, leaving her a bit dizzy; Ron hugged her; Mrs. Weasley cried out in joy of having her friends and family together; and Harry held either side of her arms, smiling, and said,"Glad you could make it."

Behind them, another ginger, much older than any of the Weasley boys Silver knew, and a pretty blonde walked through the already open door. Mrs. Weasley nearly fainted from elation. She immediately took the tall ginger in her arms, hugging his neck and dragging it down until he was at her level. "Hi mum, very happy to see you, too. Ron, Fred, George." Bill said from beside his mother's head.

"Oh come in, come in." Molly said, finally letting him go and remembering her manners, "Come in Fleur."

She floated in rather than walked, her graceful footsteps making it seem as if she hadn't even had contact with the floor. She hadn't changed much from the summer, and people's responses to having her around hadn't either; Ron still stood, awestricken at her presence, whereas Fred and George couldn't help but admire her as well.

It wasn't long until everyone retreated into the living room, more seats having been set out by Fred and George earlier to accommodate the guests, and Mrs. Weasley directed her wand at a large, wooden wireless and increased the volume.

"Oh, Celestina Warbeck." Said Mrs. Weasley dreamily, closing her eyes as she moved to the crooning music.

Silver, sitting between Remus and Harry, watched on as Fleur continued her conversation with Bill, Fred piping in every now and then to comment. Ron was looking rather bored and asked Ginny to pass a tray of sheppard's pie to him. Silver looked at Remus, who seemed as if he were in another world, secluding himself from Celestina Warbeck's woes and the group's conversation. He seemed particularly interested in an empty spot in the wall ahead of him, and it wasn't long until Silver reacted the same way, but only to try to figure out what was wrong with him. She almost didn't notice Mr. Weasley come up beside Harry, that is, until she heard the name Malfoy mentioned. She slowly turned her head a little towards Harry, straining her ears to listen to what they were saying as inconspicuously as possible.

"it isn't out business to know." said Remus suddenly and Silver stirred in surprise, "It's in Dumbledore's hands. Dumbledore trusts Snape, therefore, we need to decide whether our loyalties are strong enough in Dumbledore's wake to trust Snape, too."

"But what if he's wrong?" Harry challenged, learning towards Remus. Silver found herself caught in between. She hadn't even heard Harry previously, how Remus had was a mystery to her.

"it comes down to trusting Dumbledore and his judgement, Harry –"

"But Dumbledore makes mistakes! He's told me himself, he does." said Harry, looking Lupin straight in the eye, "You don't even like Snape!"

Lupin hesitated, "I neither like nor dislike him."

"You hated him before…you and my father and Sirius."

"I admit, Harry, there is bitterness that has been piling for too long to ignore it; but I will not forget the wolfsbane potion he made for me every month when I was teaching at Hogawrts."

"That's only because Dumbledore made him!" Harry counter-argued.

"Whatever the case may be, the fact is, he did make it for me, and for that I owe him my gratitude."

Harry looked skeptical, "How do you explain it then? Snape wanting to help Malfoy!"

Silver, who remained quite still between them, finally seemed to have had her attention roused. Lupin opened his mouth to speak, trying to read into how Silver was handling her brother's accusation, when to her surprise, she spoke.

"He is up to something, Draco." muttered Silver in a sad voice.

A lengthy silence offset the room, only the soulful cries of the musician on the wireless were heard.

"Eggnog anyone?" suggested George to the room, obviously trying to ease the tension.

"I would love some, dear." said Mrs. Weasley.

"I'll take one." Fred lifted an arm in the air as if he were back in a classroom at Hogwarts.

George went off to fetch the eggnog from the kitchen, and at that moment Celestina's music hour had come to an end.

"Thank God!" said Fleur, rather rudely.

And with that, everyone broke into conversation. Silver was in no mood to talk to anyone, and noticed Lupins eyes on her, but she pretended not to.

"And what have you been up to then?" asked Harry conversationally.

Lupin hesitated again, "I've been underground, living with other werewolves." He said, choosing his words with great caution. "Dumbledore needed a spy to see where their laid their loyalties."

Silver looked at him, "You didn't tell me you were living with werewolves."

"I didn't want to drown you in it all at once, I felt it would've been too much for you to handle."

"So, naturally, you choose to tell me in a room full of people?" she accused, sounding a lot colder than she intended.

Lupin broke free from her gaze, looking around the room worriedly with no purpose, except for avoiding her stare.

"And who's side are they on?" asked Harry, finding it best to press on with the conversation.

Lupin, still looking guilty, said, "Voldermot. Greyback can be very convincing."

"Who's Greyback?"

"Greyback's the werewolf who bit him." Silver informed her brother.

Lupin, not expecting her to know so much of his history already, raised his eyebrows.

"Dumbledore told me." she said plainly, and then decided she needed some fresh air, or perhaps a lot of fresh air, and stood from her seat, leaving the room.

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**A/N: You're all lovely (: Thank you for your reviews. I'm really excited the storys already received 114! **

**I've kind of already made a general storyline of what awaits Silver, and I will be writing another story after this one (: So, I hope that makes you guys excited!**

**And please review!**


	23. Family

**Family**

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She went into the kitchen and threw her hand out to reach the handle. _Click_. The door opened into the dark night. Upon stepping foot away from the house and towards the garden, she retracted her arms to her chest, suddenly feeling cold and wishing she would've been smart enough to remember her coat. She stumbled on a lifted tree bark, that seemed to purposely be separating itself from it's roots. A cool surge of wind lifted her hair into the air, her body feeling the chill again.

"_Then prove it! Make the unbreakable vow._"

The voice hit her like solid ice, goosebumps forming all over her skin as the sound travelled up her neck and into her ear.

"_Do you Severus Snape, promise to look after Draco Malfoy as he journeys to fulfill the deed the Dark Lord has bestowed him?_"

The shrieking sound was unmistakable. Her memories reeled back to Malfoy Manor last year, at around this time. Bellatrix standing in the open kitchen; Narcissa, anxious and stiff at the scene before her; Draco holding on to her, his body covering her own from his aunt's line of sight…

She blinked, smashing her back to the present. The only shrieking she heard now was that of the hollow wind, whistling by her, swaying the trees and the grass on the mountaintops. Her heart was beating so rapidly, it was nearly flying out of her chest.

"_And do you promise, to fulfill the deed yourself if Draco fails?"_

"_Yes."_

She clutched at her head, looking around her half expecting to see Bellatrix Lestrange, but there wasn't anyone around. A rogue gnome sped off across her, chasing down another one in a frivolous game of tag. She couldn't explain to herself where these voices were coming from – why did she keep hearing them?

"Silver?"

A sense of panic rose within her. The voice knew her name, and it sounded more solid than before. "Leave me alone." she mumbled impatiently, "I don't want to hear you anymore!"

"Pardon?"

She felt someone touch her shoulder and she let out a loud, piercing scream. She ran forward, trying to get away, when she was touched again and turned around, in spite of her struggles. She looked at the boy blindly, shutting her eyes tight before opening them again, as if she had to refocus her vision.

"What's gotten into you?" Harry asked quickly, grabbing hold of her hands.

"H-Harry…harry..it's you." Silver rambled, clearly put off by his presence, "Bellatrix is here…where is she?"

Harry knitted his eyebrows together, "Silver, it's only us."

She whimpered, bending at her knees and bringing her hands towards her in an attempt to free them. "I heard her!" she said fiercely, "I heard her voice!"

"Listen to me," said Harry in a clear voice, "it's only us here, Silver, just you and me. Bellatrix isn't here, she can't get in here."

And then there was a crackling sound, unnatural to the garden. Harry reaffirmed his grip on Silver's hand as he looked around the place, his body alert, and his eyes like night vision binoculars. A boisterous laugh echoed throughout, consequently Silver and Harry pulled out their wands, brandishing them forward menacingly.

"What's that?" pointed Silver, squinting her eyes for a better view.

Harry did the same, pushing his spectacles higher on his nose. There was a dim light not far ahead, but it was rapidly growing, and out of thin air, a woman fully dressed in black revealed herself from behind a large bush, a small spark ignited at the tip of her wand.

"Happy Christmas, Potters!" she cried cheerily, or as cheery as Bellatrix would ever sound, as she pointed her wand at an empty piece of land and the orange light became a rushing wave of flames, forming a ring of fire around the burrow and the siblings.

The others seemed to have noticed since there was movement behind Silver, unsure of what else to do, she turned around to see Remus running towards her, Tonks close behind, wands in hand. Tonks began casting spells aiming at Bellatrix, but once she ran off redirected her energy towards ceasing the fire.

"Aguamenti!" she said, rounding the flames.

In that one moment of distraction, Harry ran off, straight into the flames.

"HARRY!"Silver bellowed loudly, instinctively running after him, until Remus wrapped his arm around her to prevent her from moving. She obliged to his demands, settling into place instead of struggling to break free. She jerked her head to face Remus, "Stop him!" she beseeched, "He's going to get himself killed for being an idiot!"

"Ginny, no!"

Silver twisted her head towards the sound, and found Ginny sprinting off after Harry in her nightgown, running straight through the fire and into the grassy acres. Watching in complete disbelief, she felt as if he feet were as heavy as two frozen blocks of ice, finding it impossible to move.

"Run back into the house, Silver." said Remus, but Silver was still in a haze. He looked around, searching for Tonks to see that she was still hard at work controlling the crazed fire and then at the outward plains where two mere children had just sped off into, in hot pursuit of a most notorious Deatheater. "Fred!"

Without words, Fred took Silver out of Lupin's hold, taking her hand and leading her back to the house until he froze in place, watching George running out of the house with Ron close behind him. "Get away from the house!" He instructed, running towards his twin brother.

"Why, what's happened?" Fred asked, still maintaining a firm grasp on Silver's hand as she watched them communicate.

"It's…it's burning." responded George, disheartedly, feeling as if a part of him was burning along with the house.

Ron noticed Silver, standing meekly behind Fred. "What's wrong?"

"She's sort of in shock, I think." said Fred sadly, bowing his head to look down at her face.

"Where'd this all come from anyway?" asked Ron breathlessly.

"Bellatrix." said George, "she started it, and Ginny's chasing after her with Harry!"

Ron looked beyond the fire frantically, "Is she mad?" he snapped, but the fear for his sister's life was evident in his voice.

Silver, still feeling a bit lightheaded but coming to her senses, tugged on Fred's arm, "Where's Lupin?"

Paying attention to her question, he examined the premises, "I can't find him." he responded sounding the most serious she had ever heard him.

There was a substantial stretch of silence between all who stayed behind, a growing worry threatening them that their pursuing party might not return, and if they did, with little of chances of being unscathed. Silver remained close to Fred, finding any presence near her comforting, just as long as she wasn't alone. Mrs. Weasley stood alone, awaiting the return of her husband and daughter, sobbing quietly into her own hands without the comfort of another. George and Ron, seemingly captivating by a new discovery, turned around and set their eyes on their house, which seemed to be clear from harm, until another fire roared from within, another spell from Bellatrix no doubt, and they stood together in reverence for their burning house.

It wasn't long until Fred noticed the same thing his brothers did, and moved to stand with them. Although selfish, Silver's most prominent concern was for that of Lupin and Harry and she couldn't dare tear her eyes away from the mountainous plains afar, mistaking any slight disturbance in the shadowy dwellings for a sign of either of them.

Then came a defeating laugh, leading those who stood along Silver to fear that the worst had happened. She crossed her hands over her chest, intertwining her trembling fingers and dropping her forehead into her knuckles.

And then the sound of rustling tree branches and broken twigs filled the silence, causing Silver to jerk her head upwards. Not a moment later, appeared Mr. Weasley first, petrified horror etching his face as he frantically searched for his family, taking his wife into his arms and kissing the top of her head ardently – as if he had feared for her life just as much as she had.

Ginny and Tonks followed Lupin and then Harry. Lupin reacted in a similar way to Mr. Weasley's manner, examining each figure with panic until he found Silver, relief washing away the worry on his pallid face. Ginny was tackled by her brothers, each embracing her harder than the last, as Harry watched her fondly. His eyes landed on Silver, who also seemed content watching the same scene. He walked to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling. She put her hand over his. "You're an idiot, you know that?"

Harry seemed to fighting with two opposing feelings, and laughed, "it's in your genes too, you know."

She nodded, thinking back to the recent conversation she had shared with Tonks, "I think you're right."

He looked directly into her face, the striking likeness of their bright green eyes still shocked him. "How did you know?"

She closed her eyes in thought for a brief moment, "I heard her voice…in my head, I think."

Harry, both concerned and intrigued, allowed her to continue.

"I don't know, I think…I hear things, but it's consistent…it's always Narcissa and Snape…it's the first time I've heard Bellatrix…"and then, as if a puzzle piece colliding into it's rightful place, she thought of the last time this vision had been triggered: in the presence of Snape. This lead her to believe she could only hear them if one of the people in the vision were around her, just like Bellatrix was today.

"What do they say?"

She swallowed, lowering her hand from his in hesitation, "An unforgiveable vow, that's what I last heard.

Harry nodded enthusiastically, much to her surprise. "I heard Snape and Malfoy talking about that in the corridors after Slughorn's party. Do you know what the vow is?"

She thought back carefully, delving deep into the memory. It was about a deed, a deed Draco was forced to carry, one that would be transferred to Snape in the case of failure.

"I don't quite remember." she lied easily, unaware she was even doing it, knowing that it stemmed from a deep desire to protect Draco. She was torn.

Before Harry could answer, Remus was beside them. "Are you alright, Silver?"

She was too busy racking in guilt for having lied to Harry to notice his pleads straightaway and averted her eyes away from her brother, feeling self-conscious. "I'm fine, and you?"

"Fine." He sighed, laying his hand on her head briefly as he looked around for Tonks.

"Silver said she heard Bellatrix's voice in her head before she appeared." Harry told Remus, in earnest hopes he would have an answer to this peculiar talent.

Remus withdrew his hand, looking at Silver, "How?"

"It happens at random times." Silver lied again.

Remus narrowed his eyes, astonished at the discovery.

"Bellatrix mentions the unforgiveable vow with Snape, the one I told you about!" said Harry eagerly, as if on the verge of solving a grand mystery.

"You didn't see into the future, so it is not the talents of a seer….Do you have any memory of whether this could be something that has occurred in the past?"

Silver shook her head, "No, I've never heard Bellatrix or Snape mention anything of the sort, not that I can recall."

"Not than you can recall." echoed Remus pensively.

"What can we do, Arthur? Our house is destroyed." Mrs. Weasley said above the others.

"If only that were the problem, Molly, it seems unsafe to stay here tonight." said Mr. Weasley thoughtfully, "Remus, you look unwell."

Silver looked up, Remus did in fact look sick. He was heavily panting, loosening his tie and feeling a warmth none of the others felt. A bead of sweat dripped down his forehead, into the crease of his brows as he shut his eyes to regain composure. They jolted open again, revealing beady black eyes and not his warm brown Silver expected to find.

"It's h-happening." He growled yet looking at Silver with his sincerest apologies, "r-run."

Silver stepped backwards, pulling Harry with her. She was shaking, overwhelmed with emotion at the sight before her.

"It's alright, he'll be alright. C'mon." whispered Harry beside her, now dragging her up to the Weasleys.

Tonks awaited her with open arms, "It's alright, darling." She said to Silver, then spoke aloud, "Let's go to Remus's place. We'll be safe there for the night."

Apparating was dangerous, but they were willing to risk it, just for tonight. The adults would appeal to the Ministry if the children wound up in trouble for apparating with them. Fred held on to Harry, George travelled with Ron, Mrs. Weasley with Ginny, and Remus with Silver; Mr. Weasley apparated first, for safety measures, and then the rest, the place becoming more crowded with each new arrival. Lupin's house was a small place, bearing no contrast with the Weasley's towering three-story home.

Tonks looked at Silver for help, who took initiative in designating rooms for everyone.

"Fred, George, and Ron, you three can try and squeeze in the guest room down here." said Silver, pointing at a room beneath the staircase, "it's rather small, I'm afraid."

Tonks was on her way with sheets she had just washed and pressed with magic, and let herself into the room.

"We can use Ron as a pillow, you think?" muttered Fred to George loud enough for Ron to hear, who automatically flustered red at the idea of sharing a room with his playful brothers.

Silver smiled as they passed, sparing Ron an empathetic look before directing her attention to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you can have Remus's bedroom, if you'd like Mr. Weasley."

"That'll do perfectly, thank you." said Mr. Weasley, smiling.

"Ginny, you can share my bedroom with Tonks and me." she told Ginny, grinning.

"And, Harry, would you like to join Ron or would you prefer having the couch to yourself?"

Harry laughed, "I think I'd prefer the couch. I don't want to risk the chances of being used as a pillow, too."

After a few moments, Silver went upstairs, Ginny following behind as Tonks stayed downstairs still handing out sheets and blankets, for Remus's house wasn't very good at keeping the cold out.

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**A/N: So, I've been job hunting, as those of you who take time into reading my author's notes know, and I finally found one! Bad news: I hated it! It was so incredibly boring; but, as luck would have it, I just received a phone call from another place and I've been hired! :D**

**I will no longer need to count my pennies!**

**Anywhooo, thanks for all of your reviews! :DD They were amazing, as always. Sorry it took long to update, but I hope it was worth it. I liked this chapter and the last, because it gets into the whole Potter background and such.**

**So…please review! Make me happy (:**


	24. The Mark

**The Mark**

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Two days after several visits back to the burrow by Mr. Weasley and the twins to ensure the place was completely safe, it was decided they would go back home. Remus arrived late at night that day, torn and frazzled from his wild adventures as a werewolf. Tonks stayed with Silver for the rest of the week, up until it was time to once again board the Hogwarts Express and start another term. Similar to last year, an important exam loomed nearby, the N.E.W.T.s, and it wasn't until January that Silver was hit with the reality of it.

Silver was back in the comforts of the Ravenclaw common room, surrounded by other sixth years, all whom had just arrived from dinner. Silver sat opposite Luna, who was trying to convince Savannah of the existence of Binglebees worniks. It was obvious Savannah wasn't listening.

Dominic was decided on not speaking to Silver and she reckoned why he wouldn't. Anthony had probably told them about that night at Slughorn's party, and when he took a seat beside her, her suspicious were confirmed with his newfound friendliness. There was one time she drifted away from the conversation and gazed into Dominic's direction, who was already looking at her and Anthony disapprovingly.

At nine thirty the room's dwellers began to disperse into the dormitories, Dominic being one of them. Lacking the ability to continue acting this way with Dominic, she confronted him, holding him back before he could climb upon the steps. She took him past the statue of Ravenclaw and to the windows, both of them standing across each other as the moonlight shone into the room. Dominic crossed his arms like a reluctant child, avoiding her eyes.

"I can guess why you're upset." she began, and he snorted in response. "It was a mistake."

"I warned you about Anthony." said Dominic icily, "And you snog him!"

Silver looked down, ashamed. "He kissed me…but I didn't do anything to stop it."

"It's just as much your fault as it is his."

"I know." admitted Silver, "I trust you Dom, it's not because I didn't listen to you…I did. I was just in the library with Ginny and we were talking about it, and he passed by us, and I asked him."

Dominic furrowed his brows, "Just like that?"

"It was impulsive…and stupid."

Dominic seemed satisfied with her answer, "You could've just taken me if you were that desperate. You know it would've been strictly friends."

With hesitation, Silver wondered whether she should mention what Ginny had said when she suggested it herself, "D'you fancy me?"

With a look of utter bewilderment, Dominic stepped back, taken aback by the question. "What?"

"Well, do you?" asked Silver, "It wont make a difference to me, Dom, I just need to know."

Dominic took in her appearance with great apprehension, feeling as if there were insects traveling in his stomach. She took his silence as his way of complying with the question.

"Nothing will change between us." she said, stepping closer to his retreating figure, "I love you, Dominic, I do."

"I love you too Sil." he admitted sadly."We're best friends."

Silver smiled, appreciating how easily the subject had been handled and hugged him. He returned it feebly, feeling a bit heartbroken.

The next day, Silver began paying closer attention to professors, all the while embarking on another journey of her own; to discover Draco's deed, and to help him get through it.

Silver sat on a raised platform beneath an arched window in a corridor within the third floor, watching people from the courtyard laugh and talk. Draco lolled against a pillar, looking at her, for he found the rest of the activity within Hogwarts unimportant.

"What're you thinking about?" he asked curiously, noting the thoughtful look on her face.

His voice dragged her out of her thoughts, but her eyes remained fixed on the outside. "My godfather."

Draco nodded, "What about him?"

She didn't want to talk about the night he witnessed him changing, so instead diverted the topic, "You aunt attacked us over the holiday, by the way."

Draco raised his eyebrows, "_What_?"

She sighed, turning her head to meet his piercing grey eyes, "She set the Weasley's house on fire, that's where I spent Christmas. I thought you'd known."

"No, I didn't!" he said angrily, "I wouldn't have let her if I'd known!"

"She's quite a character, your aunt."

Draco began pacing to stem his anger, "I can't….she's….were you hurt?"

"I'm fine." She looked down at her shoes.

He fell on the floor, kneeling in front of her and putting a hand on her knee, "I'm sorry."

Silver felt a warm sensation in the place where he touched her, "It's not your fault."

He searched her face, "What's really bothering you?"

"I told you." she smiled, "How was your Christmas?"

He still seemed unconvinced, "Boring. I saw your friend Rupert at the party in the manor, he said hello."

Her face lit up, "Did you? I miss him dearly."

Draco smirked, "And then there were the usuals: Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Blaise.."

"Sounds enthralling."

"You missed out." said Draco sarcastically.

Silver took a strand of her hair in her fingers, "I could only imagine."

Professor Sprout walked by, barely noticing them. She seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. Silver methodically fixed her sweater and fidgeted with her sleeves to distract herself. She noticed Draco look down at his watch, twice.

"I have to go." he said, Silver already expecting it.

She looked at him, noticing his face was beginning to show signs of stress and of frustration. "Where?"

Lacking a premeditated response, he slipped his hand through his blonde hair anxiously, "I'm…going to get started on a Transfigurations assignment."

"Oh, which one?"she asked curtly, "I don't remember McGonagall assigning anything –"

"It's late. I didn't have enough time to finish it for when it was due."

Still apprehensive yet feeling quite bold she continued, "Are you lying to me?"

A grim silence passed between them, as Draco marshaled his thoughts and decided he didn't want to lose her trust again and opted for the truth, "Yes..i am."

Silver cautiously rose to her feet, and consequently Draco was forced to look at her by her sudden movement. She looked up at him sadly, and despite the ache he felt at that moment, he couldn't find the strength to look away. They stood about five feet away from each other, the distance acting as a barricade neither of them dared to cross.

"I do have something to do, but not for school."

She waited to see if he would go on, but after a few moments it was obvious he wouldn't. "And is that going to be with or without Snape's help?"

He was utterly bewildered, "How do you know about that?"

"Nevermind how I know, but I know there's an unforgiveable vow involved, and I know Bellatrix and Narcissa brought it on."

She was taking a shot in the dark revealing to Draco the information she had received as images and voices as plausible facts, and his reaction reassured her she had taken a successful risk.

"My mother asked if you seemed like you knew anything about it." he recalled slowly.

Did Narcissa have any knowledge about what was happening to Silver? Had she found a way to plant the images in her head to warn her?

"You look sick, like you haven't eaten in days…your face has more worry than a sixteen year old should bear."

"I don't have a choice. When it comes to the dark lord, you never have a choice."

Although she felt sympathetic, she had something else she needed to know, "Does it have anything to do with Harry?"

"No." he said truthfully, "No, it doesn't."

There was another long stretch of silence, until Silver broke it,"We can find a way around it –"

"No." he shook his head, "No, we can't."

"Draco-"

"We can't, I've tried. Believe me, I've tried!" he said impatiently, "I felt so honored when it happened. They told me at the Leaky Cauldron, and my father was so proud..i had never seen him so proud…and then I saw you, and I wished—" he paused, "—I wished none of it had happened."

"There's so much more to life than Voldermort. Your father is trapped in Azkaban because of him! How long did you think it would take before you joined him?"

He looked down, like a child who had taken a sweet from a candy store without his mother's permission. "I realized that. He doesn't care about any of us. He uses people, and disposes of them when he's done."

"_Us_?" she echoed, approaching him. He was about to step back, but didn't, instead he let her stand in front of him, only inches between them. He let her grab his arm, enjoying the sensation of her touch, and he let her pull back his sleeve.

Her hands fell limply at her sides, leaving the mark on his arm exposed for her to examine and scrutinize. She choked back a sob, and lifted her arms again, passing a hand over it and hoping it would rub off.

"You're a…." she couldn't say the word.

"I'm a deatheater." He whispered, his head bowed down so his lips were beside her ear.

She was hypnotized at the spot of his dark mark, unable to pull her eyes away from it – possibly from the shock or perhaps the intrigue.

"Draco." her voice broke. She no longer found the strength to suppress her threatening tears, and they spilled over, a tear falling over his mark as she shut her eyes tightly. He cupped her face gingerly, using his thumbs to wipe the tears away. "I love you, this doesn't change anything for me." She could tell he too was on the verge of tears.

Silver parted her lips, not knowing how she felt about him at present. He understood her hesitation, her green eyes, now evergreen in the shadows, were never keen on hiding expression. Her lips quivered in several attempts to speak, all reducing her to cry harder. There was no going back now. It didn't change anything for him, but _everything changed for her._ Draco, the boy she loves, is doomed to live as a Deatheater for the rest of his life.

Her mind was swirling with thoughts, one in particular – one in which she imagined herself in a white gown, getting married in an old castle by a timid river on the countryside, with Draco beaming at the other end of the aisle as he waited for his bride. She wasn't planning on marriage anytime soon, but when the scenario did arise, she couldn't marry a death eater. She'd seen Narcissa's life – she didn't have one. Upon marrying one, you too become one – and not even all the love in the world would prompt Silver to choose that life.

Although reluctant to the new circumstances, she had promised to remain loyal to him, and so she would…even if it was just until the end of the term.

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**A/N: I know **HadleyConlon** will be happy to read this, since she's been waiting for the death eater drama to begin! And I hope all of you are now also intrigued by this new ( and probably expected) turn of events! Lol**

**Silver already promised herself in an earlier chapter that she wouldn't keep running away from Draco when things got a bit rough, so you don't have to worry about them separating again – but now there's the death eater factor in the mix, which is never good.**

**Oh and has anyone seen the trailer for Deathly Hallows? It's AMAZING! I really can't wait to see it! There's a few Ron/Hermione cutsey moments in here, which I'm really excited about.**

**Sorry I got sidetracked, but anyways, I'm off to the beach for the Fourth of July weekend, so that's why I leave you with this update today (: What are all of your plans for the weekend?**

**And as always, pleeease review! :D**

**P.S. If anyone is good with Sony Vegas or any other movie-making program and would be interested in making a short trailer/vid for the fanfic – let me know! I've seen other fanfics that have mini-trailers on youtube and I've been wanting to make one also, but alas, I lack the skills to make my own. It would be Tom Felton (of course) and Jessica Stroup (the actress who I've envisioned as Silver); I admit the pair is a bit difficult, considering they've probably never even been anywhere near each other, but any effort would be very much appreciated :D**


	25. Restless

**Restless**

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A month passed, and Silver stood by her word loyally. As days passed, Draco grew more irritable and frustrated and, through strained efforts, found the ability to remain needlessly stationary throughout the duration of classes – classes he was already convinced were nonessential and redundant.

He had had the first sign of success when his experimental apple disappeared from the vanishing cabinet and returned half-bitten, although, he was unsure of how victorious he really felt. This victory meant he was one step closer to the fulfillment of his plan, and with the aforementioned he would carry out the deed so wrongfully entrusted to him.

Harry's only mission in life had seemed to become involved in discovering Draco's whereabouts, and became dangerously close once if it weren't for Neville Longbottom running by due to a spell gone wrong. That was a close call, so from that day on Draco forced either Crabbe or Goyle to accompany him and serve as look-outs. Of course, it would've been far too obvious for them to stand as themselves, and so Draco made them seek out the DNA of first years he could make a polyjuice potion of.

Goyle whined at the sight of himself upon seeing he had turned himself into a 12-year old girl, but Crabbe found it very amusing. Indifferent to their circumstances, Draco continued on to finishing his business as Goyle stood outside.

Downstairs the atmosphere was quite different, Ginny and Dean were sitting by the fountain in the courtyard being as the snow had stopped for a few days already and sun was peeking through the bits of cloudy sky; Luna was exploring the grounds in search of the ear of a Crumple-Horned Snorcack and Silver, now beginning to regret her decision, obliged to accompany her; Harry was just as anxious as you usually found him, still trying to decode Draco's actions, whereas Hermione had grown rather worried about him – in all honestly, with her not talking to Ron because of Lavender, she hadn't much else to do than think about Harry.

"Is that it?" said Silver for the fifth time that afternoon.

Luna hopped over, bending towards the ground, and examined the round object, "No, no." she shook her head, "it's rounder than that, and there's an antennae coming out of it."

Silver blinked, watching Luna as she nimbly walked closer to the dense shrubbery ahead, "Luna, we aren't supposed to go into the Forbidden Forest."

"But I'm sure the snorcack doesn't know that."

Silver had to smile, but withdrew it immediately, "Probably not, but I still think it isn't a very smart idea to go in there without a professor."

Luna pouted, dismayed by her robbed opportunity, "What about Anthony? Does he count?"

Silver raised a speculative brow, "What? no, he isn't –"

"Hello there, Anthony."

Silver jumped, turned around and nearly tripped over a raised tree root.

"Hello girls." He smiled, "What are you doing so far off into the grounds?"

"Well we're actually hunting for the ea—"

"We're just going for a quick run." interrupted Silver, wishing she could've in fact been taken into the forbidden forest.

"Ah." said Anthony, looking between Silver and Luna, "Well, I've been looking for you Silver, but whenever I've come close, you've either just left or been busy with homework."

Admittedly, Silver had only feigned being hard at work when Anthony was around, and whenever she noticed his prospecting appearance beforehand, she was guilty of purposely leaving. "Have I? Well, you know, with final exams coming up….there's just so much to do."

He dug his hands into his pockets, "Of course, yeah."

"How's everything then?"

"Alright. You?"

"It's great."

It would've been quiet, were it not for the wind blowing past them. Snow that once piled on the ground, nearly reaching a person's knees, had melted down to only covering the tip of Silver's boots. Luna daintily pranced over a puddle of muddy water on the ground, a delicate smile on her pale face. Admist the pure whiteness of the outside, Luna seemed rather angelic – her long blonde hair barely serving as contrast to her equally pale skin, matching the snow. Silver smiled a small smile at Luna and Anthony, the latter seeming uncomfortable with the silence. Looking off into the tip top of a sloped hillside that would lead back to the castle, Silver noticed a figure trudging down towards her, and for a moment, she felt as if her heart had plummeted from atop a skyscraper.

"What're you doing out here?" asked Draco as he finally managed to reach the end of the slippery hill, his face evidence that he was quite ill at ease - leaving her to already guess it had something to do with his mission.

Draco's appearance made Anthony feel a bit nervous, obvious in the way he shifted his body from one leg to the other.

"Oh..we were just exercising."

Draco knitted his pale eyebrows, "exercising?" he asked, almost forgetting Anthony was there.

"Yes."

He stood directly in front of her, "I have to ask you something."

"Draco, you don't happen to have ever crossed the ear of a Crumple-horned snorcack?" said Luna from beside him.

Draco, looking terribly confused, shook his head as if to shake off her question, "No."

"What do you need to ask me?" asked Silver quickly.

Draco looked behind him at Anthony and then at Luna before he grabbed her hand, "Come with me?"

She obliged, letting him pull her away. They walked slowly through the snow, careful not to fall and when Silver found herself on the precipice of a large puddle, Draco wordlessly took her hand, keeping a firm grip on the crook of her elbow until she was safely on the other side. She looked at him, and he was already looking at her, his face tortured – as if he were on the frontlines of an internal battle with himself, but it subsided to blankness immediately. Once they were far enough looked down at her, still holding her hand. "Has your brother told you anything about me?"

She didn't answer at first, thoughtfully perusing his question in her head. "No, he hasn't." she lied.

He searched her face, looking into her green eyes, and nodded. She had become quite skilled in lying lately, especially when it came to matters between Harry and Draco – almost as if she were tiptoeing between enemy lines.

He let go of her hand, leaving it to fall limply at her side, "Why?" she asked.

"I think he might've seen something that could discover me."

She _had_ heard Harry talking to Mr. Weasley back at Lupin's house about a vanishing cabinet he had found, and how it held the prospect of being linked to Draco.

"What is it he saw?"

"Something I'm…dawdling with."

She nodded in understanding, "Well, no, he hasn't mentioned anything."

xxx

"I can't believe I have to wear this bloody thing." Ron scowled, taking a silver chain from around his neck and hiding it under his sweater.

"I can't believe she _gave_ you that bloody thing." said Harry jeering.

Lavender had given Ron a necklace for Christmas – he wasn't very fond of it.

"Won-won!" cried an all-too-familiar voice, making Ron cringe a bit.

"Hey Lav." He tried to say as she jumped on him, nearly tackling him to the ground.

Harry was about to leave when Hermione came walking past, catching sight of Lavender and Ron and turning around. Harry chased after her until he was finally in step with her, noticing that her expression wasn't that of irritation, but that of hurt. Harry instantly felt helpless, for her was unable to help her.

"Hermione?"

In a daze, she looked up at him with mild surprise, "Harry...I didn't notice you were there.." she trailed off with a small smile.

"Did you hear about Won-Won's new necklace?" laughed Harry, "It's an outlandishly large gold heart with the words 'My Sweetheart' engraved."

Hermione giggled, trying to not find it too funny for the sake of pretending she didn't care. "Rubbish!"

"I wish it were." laughed Harry again.

"Does he really like that?"

"No, I think he hates it actually. He wont tell her, but I'm sure the expression on his face says it all."

Hermione smiled, finding the scenario of them splitting up soon quite comforting. She was then distracted by another ginger running past. Ginny was curled into the gaggle of students lingering in the corridors, her hair, along with the rest of the Weasley's, was an unusually bright shade of ginger – making it a rather easy task to tell her apart from the rest of the school. Hermione stopped walking, mainlining her gaze on her so as to catch her attention when she looked up. The youngest Weasley grew closer to where Hermione and Harry stood….and walked right past them. Hermione noticed she was concentrated on her feet, and although she did well at hiding her face, Hermione caught a glimpse of her tear-stained cheeks.

"Was that Ginny?" asked Harry, sobering up immediately as his eyes followed her.

Hermione nodded sadly, sighed, and decided, "It seems like her and Dean have been fighting again."

"Fighting?" echoed Harry in concern, speaking a bit louder than before because Hermione had already begun walking again.

"They've been shotty lately…always arguing about something."

Harry finally reached beside her, placing his hand on her shoulder and pulling down so she would stop. "She's told you?"

Hermione studied his reaction with bemusement as she stopped to look at him, "Yes, but I'm sure Silver knows more about it…" she said, parting her lips and sighing, "she usually tells her everything." The idea didn't sit well with Hermione. Not because she disliked Silver, or due to the fact that Ginny and Silver had become much closer than they had ever been, but it was really because she had never quite been able to maintain solid friendships with girls. Her competitive nature and stubbornness to always be right always seemed to give Ginny a bit of edge when they were together. It was something that a laid-back personality, such as Silver's and Ginny's, never really understood. Indeed, the three of them remained close, but Hermione most recently continued to find herself secluded from the group. It seemed as if Silver and Ginny had private manners to discuss and found her unworthy to hear of them.

Silver's break after lunch period had come to an end, and it wasn't until later that afternoon that Silver felt her first surge of happiness - the first time she had felt as if it was alright to smile again. Professor Flitwick stood on a stool centered before the classroom, settling down the class and just about to begin his lesson when it happened. Silver, along with a greater portion of the class, turned their heads at the sound of the door opening. A series of gasps erupted from those closest to the door, and even Professor Flitwick allowed himself a surreptitious squeal of delight.

Blake had finally set foot on the solid grounds of her school, feeling nostalgic of the long-awaited moment she would finally be freed from hospital. She carried her bag off her shoulder, smirking lightly at the attention and walked further into the class, as if she were savoring every second. The reconnaissance of the place was soon interrupted when Silver and Dominic interrupted the appreciative silence of the classroom and swung their arms around her, tightly hugging her. Suddenly feeling overwhelmed with emotions, Blake's topaz eyes blurred with tears as she grinned with the sincerest smile she had ever felt. Before long, the remaining five Ravenclaws of the classroom did the same, each welcoming her back and wishing her well.

Blake looked around excitedly, tears sparsely coating her cheeks.

Dominic, unable to take his eyes off her since the moment she entered, reached to wipe them away, "You're back…and you're alright."

Blake smiled and grabbed his hand, "I am."

"We're very glad to have you back Ms. Trench." said Professor Flitwick, who couldn't help but feel a bit giddy himself.

Dominic took her book from her hand, carrying it for her until he set it down for her on the table where he and Silver presently sat. The class had settled down, although, some were still anxiously whispering to the other about her return. No doubt the news of her arrival would be carried to the whole school within the next hour.

There were a few unfazed by her return. Pansy, Blaise, and Millicent were a proud part of that few.

"Professor Flitwick," Pansy said as she raised her arm in the air, lacking the patience to await his permission to speak, "I do believe we should be returning to the lesson, don't you?"

The small man turned to look at her, trying his best to conceal his irritation , "Yes, Mrs. Parkinson, but it is a rather special occasion –"

"Our education is of far greater importance..or at least, I can pry for my father's opinion on the matter."

"Oh, shut up Parkinson." cried Silver suddenly, peeved beyond belief.

Pansy narrowed her eyes dangerously after getting past the initial shock of having someone counter-argue.

"Oh I have a few choice words for you Po-"

"That's enough!" mediated Professor Flitwick, shouting above the quarreling girls, "Now back to the lesson – as I was saying.."

Although wishing Flitwick hadn't intervened, for she had a few choice words for Pansy as well, Silver settled down, glaring at her darkly from her seat and finding that fulfilling enough, for now at least. She almost wished she hadn't looked over; Draco wasn't in class…again; they'd separated only a half hour ago. Trying to ignore an uneasy feeling in the very bottom of her stomach, Silver redirected her attention to Flitwick's lecture but found it increasingly difficult to concentrate.

It wasn't until later that night that Silver was forced out of her common room by the news of Ron being sent to the infirmary. Dominic had told her in the common room after having taken Blake to the hospital wing because she was feeling a bit dizzy.

"It's only nine o'clock. You've still got time to see what's going on." urged Dominic.

Silver didn't need much convincing, she wanted to see if Ron was alright, so upon Dominic's blessing she ran to the hospital wing straightaway. There was a few lone students walking around, one of them Anthony who was patrolling the halls. She pretended to have not noticed him as he called after her yelling, "You! No running!" – not having recognized her.

Finally reaching the end of the hall, she turned left and carefully opened the doors to let herself squeeze in, hoping not to cause much of a disturbance. Ginny was sitting beside her brother as Harry and Hermione booth stood facing the door. Dumbledore was there as well, along with Professor Slughorn and Snape.

Silver delicately traipsed over to them, first noticing Ron's sleeping figure before proceeding to ask how he was.

"It seems that Mr. Weasley had mistakenly drank poisoned mead, Ms. Potter." answered Dumbledore.

"_Poisoned_ mead?" she echoed in outraged speculation.

"I took him to Professor Slughorn after he ate a box of chocolates with a strong love potion –" Harry began to explain.

"—which I had already warned Harry that Romilda Vane was brewing for him –" Hermione cut in.

"—and he gave him something to wash it down with, and it turned out it was poisoned."

Silver gasped, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Mr. Weasley's future looks bright, what with such a caring lot of friends, who wouldn't be pushed further to live?" smiled Dumbledore before he suddenly grew serious, "Now Horace, you said you'd attained this in hopes of a gift for someone, correct?"

"Yes, Headmaster." cowered Slughorn, looking terribly ashamed.

"And to whom, dare I ask, was it intended?"

Slughorn looked down, feeling slightly more pathetic than he did before, "For you…Headmaster."

The room grew silent, and although you'd imagine Dumbledore to grow weary of the man before him, there wasn't an ounce of dislike apparent in the Headmaster.

Suddenly, the doors swung open and Lavender Brown clumsily stumbled across the stretch of floor and between the teachers. "What's happened to my Won-Won?" she asked frantically, reaching the foot of his bed and nearly pushing Silver out of the way.

"_Ron_ is alright, you can calm down Lavender." said Hermione pointedly.

"Oh, don't go off pretending like you're friends now." began a distressed Lavender, "You haven't spoken in weeks!"

"Yes, because of _you!_" Hermione screeched, nearly regretting her unexpected frankness. Harry looked up at her in surprise.

"Well gentleman, I believe it is time for us to take our leave. Severus, would you.." Dumbledore's voice began to trail off as they reached farther from the group and out the door.

Lavender reddened, "You're only here because you all of a sudden think he's interesting for being poisoned!"

"You're mad! Ron's my friend, and he's sick –"

"Well, Ron's my boyfriend, and I would like some time alone with him." demanded Lavender.

Silver, standing right beside her, stared at her in disbelief. "We're not leaving!"

Lavender looked at her firmly but said nothing, until a small sound broke the silence.

"er-mi-ne." mumbled Ron incoherently.

Silver could hardly believe her ears, had he just said what she thought he had?

"mione." He said again.

Lavender was breathing hard, nearly panting.

"ermione."

Silver grinned, glancing at Hermione who appeared to feel a mix of disbelief and utter bliss.

"He can't be serious." scowled Lavender.

"I think he is." said Ginny, finally glad to be rid of the girl.

"You heard him then." added Silver, "he only wishes to see Hermione, so you can trot off now."

Lavender groaned in defeat and nearly ran out of the place. Hermione smiled, only having eyes for the ginger lying peacefully on the bed.

Ginny stood, taking Silver's arm and motioning her out of the room with a knowing smile. Silver reached out to get Harry, but saw him raising his eyebrows and smiling at Hermione, who retorted with a sheepish grin as she put her hands over Rons and sat on the edge of his bed.

Once they were outside, Silver and Ginny began to giggle uncontrollably; even Harry laughed a bit here and there until Peeves flew over them with a bag of sausages and began to shoot at them, demanding they get ready for war. Finding cover in the Great Hall, the three of them walked inside and sat on the Gryffindor table. Silver took a moment to notice how odd it felt sitting there - all the way on the other side of the room from her very own table.

"So..Romilda Vane was brewing a love potion for you.." laughed Ginny.

Harry grew serious for a second, before letting out a small laugh, "I know…it's embarrassing."

Ginny met his green eyes and smiled, suddenly beginning to feel a flurry of butterflies swarming her stomach, unknowing Harry was feeling the same.

"How's Dean?"

She averted her eyes, not expecting to have Harry ask about her boyfriend. "He's alright, I suppose."

"I like Dean," began Silver, "but I don't feel like he's the one you're meant to be with." Her eyes lingered over Harry, and then at Ginny.

Harry blushed, "I suppose it's somewhat true..but just because we're still young and there's lots of other people out there.."

"Some closer than you think." added Silver.

Ginny cursorily glanced at her, "Maybe."

The previous spoken words swam in Silver's head for several seconds. _He's the one you're meant to be with. There's lots of other people out there._ Feeling as if she had fled from reality, Silver delved through her thoughts upon which revealed Draco's aching face. The same expression he wore this afternoon when he'd met her by the Forbidden Forest. She looked up at the endlessly high ceiling of the Hall. Thousands of floating candles mingled above her, a star-filled sky lining the crevices of the ceiling. For a small second, she remembered the constellation Draco had told her about when they were younger, the one he claimed was named after him. She laughed a little. Of course it wouldn't, the enchanted ceiling in Hogwarts wasn't nearly as large as the actual sky outside – there were bound to be lots of other constellations besides that particular one. And then she saw it, towards the east corner of the room was a series of stars, that, if connected would form a serpent-like dragon. Upon the warmth of nostalgia dawned the crash of her current situation, or rather, Draco's.

Deatheater.

She swallowed hard and shut her eyes, her head still tilted towards the ceiling – completely unaware Harry had finally noticed Silver was no longer with them.

"Silver?"

Silver looked at Ginny, who fashioned a preoccupied concern, "I'm sorry….I've got to go."

Harry looked at her oddly, "What's wrong?"

Already having stood from the wooden bench she spared him an answer, although she preferred he hadn't asked anything. "Too many things to explain." she said, realizing her voice sounded throaty and running out of the room.

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**A/N: I took sooo long! I know :( Thanks to **HadleyConlon** for yelling at me to hustle, hustle! (Her George/OC fanfic is great, in case anyone wants to check it out!)**

**I'll really try to update sooner! Hopefully, you all enjoyed the chapter (:  
It would probably be good if you also reviewed and forced me to update !  
Thank you all for your kind reviews, I love every one of them, really I do. It makes me ridiculously happy, as I've mentioned before (:**

**Oh - almost forgot. I did a small little something for Within Enemy Lines, it's mostly revolving around the tension between Silver, Draco, and Harry. Plus, the ending is a sneak peek into how the story's going to end. Tun tun tun! Hope you guys like it (: I'm definitely _not _an expert with movie-making software, but I tried my best.**** I hope it looks okay!**

**http :/ / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = B S 1 P n s u j g O g  
**


	26. Nothing Left to Lose

**Nothing left to lose**

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After the last class of the day, Silver and Blake wandered about the school – Blake seeming as if she were seeing it all for the first time.

"It's _so_ good to be out of that hospital." said Blake.

Silver placed her arm over Blake's shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze, "I'm just glad you've recovered so well."

"I have." smiled Blake in response, "I've missed all of you so much."

The girls' interlinked the crooks of their elbows, and continued to walk leisurely down the stairs and into the Entrance Hall where there was a few people standing around. The sun was setting outside, and the room took on a warm shade of orangey-pink. They stopped to peer out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, draped in a velvety sheen. Then something caught her attention, Draco was just a few feet away, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed over his chest. She pretended to not have noticed, but surely he had. His grey eyes fell on them and Silver hoped he wouldn't approach them; under normal circumstances, she wouldn't have minded but things were certainly different ever since she had found out his secret. She wished it weren't, but in all sincerity, she was a bit intimidated by the sight of him. This was no longer a story of playing by daddy's rules, it had suddenly become serious. Draco was no longer a small child at Lucius' disposal, he was now a pawn for the most sadistic wizard ever known to the wizarding world. The thought sent a cold shiver up her neck and down through her skin in ripples. She looked down at the raised hairs down her arm – goosebumps. Without really thinking, she rubbed her hand, not only lacking success but also making it worse.

Upon the disappearance of the sun and it's descent into the distant mountains, Blake distracted herself with a fresh examination of the place. It wasn't long before she too noticed Draco's presence, he wasn't hard to miss - usually surrounded by a few loyal cronies, most noticeably with Crabbe and Goyle planked on each side of him like bodyguards. He looked different. No longer present was his heir of arrogance and conceit. He looked rather worn and pathetic – but his face had become harder, as if he had taken on the responsibilities of a middle-aged man in the length of months she had been gone.

"Draco's over there." said Blake only loud enough for Silver to hear.

Blake noticed the way Silver's eyes grew larger at the mention of his name.

"Is he?" she fumbled, not even bothering to look in his direction, "I'm hungry."

Suspicion rose at her avoidance of the subject, "Oh, shall we go grab something to eat? Dinner should be already set.."

"Let's go." said Silver promptly, turning around to walk up to the grandeur elegance of the door before the Dining Hall.

As the sights and smells of lunch reached her, it produced quite an opposite effect than it usually did - her stomach contracted and she felt sick. It wasn't until now that Silver grasped the magnitude of what was happening. Draco wasn't one to be trifled with, he was a deatheater, regardless of his own feelings towards it – it didn't make him any less of one.

The next day, he noticed the distance she had unconsciously laid between them. The day after that, he could feel the extra length it had grown. It might've been a mistake to tell her, or to have let her guess. But he liked her company, it made him feel normal – so he didn't mention it to her on the off chance it would upset her.

Two weeks went on, the sun melted more snow, and Silver's sixth year at Hogwarts was well into March. Draco was more tired than ever, more frustrated, and he needed Silver more than he had ever did – but she was still cold, still distant. He half expected she would've been back to normal by now, but it only got worse with time. He continued to spend most of his time in the Room of Requirements, hidden away from the rest of the world he now thought of as unimportant. Crabbe was outside, this time disguised as a first year Hufflepuff boy, upon his request to remain his own sex. It was late, almost ten o'clock and Draco was still banging his head over and over trying to fix the cabinet. This time he'd transported a small bird. It had died upon apparition. He hit the cabinet, his chest swollen and heavy.

Deciding it wasn't worth to spend another second in there, he opted for a chance of consolation. He marched out of the room, Crabbe dropping a book he held in his hand, and walked all the way down the corridor. His destination was Ravenclaw Tower. He didn't know what had come over him, but all he knew was that he had to get there, if he could ever even find it. He didn't care much for the prospect of prefects monitoring the halls, he was on duty tonight, so no one would get in his way.

The candle-lit halls put him on edge, the darkness unsettling in his state of mind. He needed something alive, something bright. He began loosening the tie of his uniform, feeling warm all of a sudden. Then he came to halt, right in front of a spiraled staircase that was unlike the other staircases of the castle. He ascended, still not realizing how uncustomary it would be for the Ravenclaw's to find Draco Malfoy waiting outside of the door to their tower.

Inside, Silver was already upstairs, getting ready for bed. She had just changed into her nightwear when Luna came through the door, out of breath and said, "I think you need to go downstairs."

Silver, who was sitting by Blakes bedside, still feeling unwell, looked down at her friend to make sure she was alright and then took small steps towards Luna. "What's wrong?"

Luna blinked, for the first time in her life, she looked disconcerted, "Draco's downstairs."

Believing her ears deceived her, Silver implored that Luna repeat herself. Draco was downstairs. In her common room. How in the bloody hell had he managed to even enter? She felt herself grow nervous, but not because she was happy to hear the news, on the contrary, she felt as if she were about to vomit on Luna's shoes.

Throwing her robe upon her shoulders, Silver immediately brushed past Luna to get a good look at the circular space downstairs. There he was, standing with one arm extended out towards the fireplace. She quickly took inventory of any Ravenclaws present – there were none, it was before curfew, and most were still outside, wandering about the castle.

Without a moment to spare, she descended the spiral staircase, taking steady, gradual steps as if she were taking the time to prepare herself for the confrontation that waited.

"Hi." he said, noticing she was getting closer.

She tried her hardest to sound normal. "Is everything alright?"

He took a moment to dwell on her appearance. She must've just been about ready for bed.

"That's what I came to ask you."

Mildly surprised, she lifted her head towards him. The fireplace crackled beside him as he let his arm fall at his side and walked closer to her. In an effort to postpone the inevitable, Silver wrapped her robe tighter against her body and sat down on a large couch, urging him to do the same. He followed her, his gaze never faltering.

"I didn't understand then" her head fell, "how serious it was."

He had already expected this. "But how did you know…how did you know about.." he looked around worriedly and leaned his head in closer, "..about the vow."

She couldn't bear to look at him, afraid the truth would show in her eyes.

"Silver." He said softly, leaning in yet again. "_Please._"

The tone of his voice was incontestable, she had to tell him.

"I've been having visions, or hallucinations, I don't quite know what they are." she said before pausing and inhaling deeply, "There's a room, and they're talking about you."

"Who is?" he urged, his body now sideways on the couch, his elbow and forearm propped against the backrest.

"Your aunt…and Narcissa…and Snape."

His posture stiffened, but he didn't say anything. He only looked at the top of her head as she continued to pull a string out of the cushion beneath her. He was angry at himself for being the reason why she was so tortured. This was his burden to carry, and she shouldn't have any part in it. That's how it _should've_ been.

"And a deed that you're s-supposed to carry out." Her voice cracked mid-sentence.

"Why didn't you tell me anything before? Did you think those visions were simply pretty portraits you had managed to think up all on ur own?" He said urgently, but in a whisper. The words came out harsher than he intended.

She looked up at him, feeling stupid for having poured her secrets to him and having him reacted this way,"And what was I supposed to make of it hm? That I had somehow been dragged into all of this wo the slightest recollection of it! I'm sorry Draco, but _my_ life has never consisted of living in complete paranoia."

He didn't want the conversation to end badly, he had come here to make amends – to fix the situation rather than tear it further into pieces, but it seemed to deviate further form that purpose as it went on, "Yes it has! You only _choose_ to forget about it, it's only when u went to Salem did u begin to feel u were above it all." he spilled without thinking.

"Above it all?" She said in disbelief, "You think that my past was something I could just _pretend_ never happened?" She searched his pallid face for a response and lowered her voice, "Yes, alright..yes I did _try _to pretend like it never did and yes I felt like I had suceeded in something when I finally stopped having nightmares towards the end of my first year. So? You know you wouldve done the same," he opened his mouth to speak but she spoke over him, "if you'd been given the opportunity & don't deny it.."

Just then the door of the common room swung open and Cho Chang came walking through. She caught sight of Silver and smiled vaguely, acknowledging her presence, and almost instantly stood affronted by the intruder interrupting the meticulously blue setting. Cho ignored him, quickly running up the steps and returning with a book in her hands. She looked back at Malfoy one last time with a warning glance, and then exited.

Draco noticed, but chose to ignore it. There were greater problems at hand than whether Cho Chang was alright with having him sitting in their common room.

He remained still, finally letting his grey eyes crash with hers & immediately regretting he had. "I didn't have that chance."

He watched her expression soften & the way she tucked a strand of raven black hair behind her ear awkwardly.

"But I'm glad _you_ did." He paused, "What I'm going through, I don't wish it upon anyone else," he frowned suddenly, "Especially not u." His eyes moistened, leading to a rogue tear slowly caressing his cheek. He quickly brushed it off with unncessary force.

It was as if her fear and loathing had melted away in that instant. Draco sat before her, completely unguarded, on the verge of tears. She could feel the salty mixture in her eyelids, the threatening tears fighting to come out.

She reached for his arm, which he would've withdrawn were it not for her silent beckons. With deep breaths, she placed her hand in his, perusing on the way his fingers were longer than hers, the way his palms were larger than hers. Her hand reached his wrist, and gently, she tugged the material of his sleeves back, gradually pushing it further up his arm, until the first signs of the mark began to reveal itself. She winced once it was in plain view for her eyes to behold. Before realizing it, tears were rapidly pouring from her face - a few falling over the revealed skin.

"I'm s-scared for y-you."

He used his free hand and placed it on the back of her neck, "So am I."

She felt almost as if the pain in her heart was weighing her down, and her head fell into her shaking hands. He inched closer to her, and re-positioned his body so that her head would comftorably into his chest instead. She listened to the fast-paced beating of his heart, and for a moment felt cowardly for crying so quickly. She tilted her head upwards to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be…"

"Shh." He simply said, as he laid a gentle kiss on the top of her forehead, and a few seconds later felt a teardrop. Erecting her body, she touched his face on the spot where it had fallen from. She hadn't been this close to him since the night of Slughorn's party. The same thought crossed his mind, and he suddenly felt his face flush in reaction to her touch.

A sound from upstairs nearly made Silver jump away from him. But a moment later came Lucinda carrying a broken crystal sphere in her hands. "Trewlany's going to kill me!"

Silver watched her walk past, and then at Draco, who was staring back at her with a peculiar face.

"Lucinda! You nick one of the mad woman's fortune-telling things and break it!" another second-year seemingly popped out of nowhere and followed Lucinda into a distant corner of the room.

The two young girls' had managed a distraction from the tension between her and Draco. She'd noticed how the scene must look to anyone passing through, and decided to still her tears and lighten the atmostphere.

"You realize you're sobbing in the Ravenclaw common room?"

Draco looked affronted, "I wasn't.."

"You weren't." She shook her head speculatively, sniffing loudly due to the aftermath of her tears.

He looked at her sternly. "You were."

"Only because you started it!"

Draco shook his head disapprovingly, "I can't believe what goes on in here…nicking Trewlaney's things.."

She smiled. "More often than not, Ravenclaws find themselves much too curious for their own good."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ginny wanted to punch someone in the face. She stomped around the locker room before their game, Slytherin vs. Gryffindor. She had just broken up with Dean, after finally realizing it wasn't at all worth it to date around just to get her mind off the one boy she really ever loved, or at least ever felt so strongly about. She needed to talk to Harry, and admit the way she felt, and somehow, hopefully, he would feel the same. On her way to find him, she had found him in a distant corner of the pitch with Cho Chang and her heart nearly fell to the ground. She felt so stupid!

Luckily, the locker room was still empty, for none of the others of the Quidditch team had gone down early to prepare the way her and Harry usually did. She marched to her locker, throwing it open with great force and reaching inside for her blouse, deciding she needed to go talk to Silver and cool off before the match. She slid off the muddy shirt she used to practice, throwing it on the ground, and was about to put the new one when she heard footsteps overhead and saw Harry standing a few feet away from her.

"Oh my god!" she squealed, taking her shirt and putting it over her bra, "Harry! Turn around!"

Harry threw his arms out in front of him in panic. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Ginny, I didn't know you were…." He stopped mid-sentence, "I'm sorry!"

"Harry, turn around!" Ginny screamed, and Harry finally obliged after finding the strength to move again; he was so nervous he could barely think.

Ginny buttoned her blouse, her face blushing fiercely and her heart thumping uncontrollably.

"Ok, I'm done." She announced after a few moments.

Harry, reluctant to turn around at first, decided to peek before completely turning around to face her again. "I'm really sorry Ginny, I barely saw anything…promise."

"Yeah, except me shirtless is all."

He looked down, feeling pathetic, "Why were you changing anyway?"

She reached down to grab her muddy shirt, "I'm done practicing."

"We usually practice until the rest of the team gets here."

Stuffing her shirt into her locker, she simply said,"Not today."

Unsure of what to say, he remained silent, watching her intently as he she rearranged things in her locker.

"I was looking forward to it."

"You can practice with Cho." said Ginny all of a sudden, the words even shocking her.

"What?"

"Oh." She moaned, "Just admit it Harry, you still fancy her. I saw you talking to her earlier."

He thought back to his conversation with his ex-girlfriend. "She was asking me about Ron."

Ginny didn't respond.

"Ginny?"

The only sound was that of Ginny's items being violently brandished around her locker.

"Please, just say something!"

Caught off guard, Ginny grabbed her bag, closed her locker, and redirected her hazel eyes towards him. She walked towards him, only inches away, and kissed him, separating quickly.

"I broke up with Dean."

And with that, she brushed past him and stalked off, leaving Harry to dwell in his own conflicting thoughts and feeling a bit dazed. It didn't take long for someone else to enter and need to speak to Harry, after all he was captain – the time he ever found himself alone was usually limited.

"Word has it Potter, that Weasley checked into the hospital last night." Cormac McLaggen said with a smile on his face.

Harry nodded, but the movement made him feel light-headed and so sat down.

"I reckon you're looking for a keeper now." He said as more of a well-known truth than a question.

Harry, miffed with Cormac's insincerity and still plagued with Ginny's words, only gave him a bland look as he marshaled his feelings. "Sure, Cormac, whatever."

Cormac's radiant smile seemed to light up the entire room, "It's settled then? I'm playing keeper?"

Harry nodded, burying his head in his hands as if steadying a terrible headache, and waved him off with his hand, "Go practice….or something."

He heard Cormac's footsteps growing closer, and then a rather brusque pat on his back, "You wont regret this, Harry."

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The sky outside was lined with purple-grey clouds, limply holding back what would soon take the form of rain. The floor was slippery, a bad combination with melting snow and the aftermath of a previous drizzle. But the weather alone wasn't enough to thwart the enthusiastic crowd of students making their way towards the pitch.

"I thought Luna was coming." said Silver to the group around her.

"She said she was." responded Dominic, "but I didn't see her back at the tower."

Savannah moved up closer to them, positioning herself in between Blake and Silver. "I hate mud."

"The feeling's mutual." added Blake.

The group continued to converse happily as they rounded the entrance and found their seats. The match was due to start in just seconds and the crowd was in uproar – nothing could restrain their cheers, except for when the announcer began to introduce the teams.

"Although, I'm not exactly sure how they'll manage to fly with the vast amounts of wackspurts floating by, the Gryffindor Team walks onto the pitch in high hopes of possibly winning."

Silver and Blake look at each other, wide-eyed, and ask each other in unision, "Is that Luna?"

"Oh, Harry! Hello down there." said the dreamy voice again, this time affirming that it was, indeed, Luna Lovegood offering her commentary on today's match.

Harry, looking embarrassed, raised his hand in what looked more like a head scratch than a wave, and proceeded onto mounting his broom, trying to regain control of his laughing team.

"Blimey, McGonagall's got to be damn desperate to ask Luna to play announcer." said Dominic in disbelief.

Silver could only laugh- a laugh she quite needed amidst the circumstances, and decided she would most definitely have to thank Luna after the match for that.

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**A/N: See, told you my update would come sooner this time :D  
Thanks to **HadleyConlon** for yelling at me to get this done and many thanks to everyone who read & reviewed!  
**

**Hope you're all enjoying your summer (:  
Unless you're in a different part of the world where it isn't summer – then I hope you're enjoying whatever season it may be there. x**


	27. Murder in the Bathroom

**Murder in the Bathroom**

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"Congratulations!" smiled Dominic as he lead Silver back into the common room, taking a rolled parchment from her hands.

"Did you get it?" asked Blake, hopping off of the chair she was sitting at and rushing over to them. Her eyes landed on the parchment and widened, "You received your Apparitions license!"

Silver smiled triumphantly, "Quite brilliant of me, I know."

"There's that…but it also means you're much older than us." Teased Dominic.

Silver narrowed her eyes at him. Dominic had just turned seventeen, but hadn't gotten around to taking the exam, and Blake was short three months before her birthday. Silver had turned seventeen a few months after the term had started, making her a bit older than her fellow classmates in their sixth year.

"I'm just glad I got through it with my limbs in tact."

"That's definitely a plus." Said Savannah cheerily as she, too, rounded the corner and reached them.

"Isn't anyone going to congratulate us?" said a voice from behind them, followed by Anthony and Terry walking into the common room with the same parchment in each of their hands.

Savannah watched Terry come in, and as she did her smile faded into a scowl. "Congratulations Anthony, well done." she said snidely.

Terry frowned, but he wasn't sure it was enough to dampen his excitement. "Silver was the first to finish," he began explaining, "She's bloody quick at it."

They moved up beside her. "Yeah, it's not bad once you get the hang of it." she responded sheepishly.

"Why don't we go downstairs and see if we can rummage the kitchens for some desserts?" suggested Blake, "I believe there's a celebration in order."

The group eagerly agreed and began their way to the Great Hall. Once they'd arrived, Anthony, Terry, and Savannah suggested they go into the kitchens while the rest found a seat. Blake spotted one, in a far corner of the Hufflepuff table, and marshaled her friends there before they were interrupted by a familiar Gryffindor.

"Hey Harry." Said Silver, caught by surprise at her brother's sudden appearance in front of them, his body forming a blockage to get to the other side.

"Hey." He smiled at them before he nervously glanced at the ginger, "Blake, you don't mind if I ask you something?"

Blake looked confused for a second, glancing back at Silver for reassurance and continuing once it was received, "No, what is it?"

Harry paused, thinking about how to word his question before he spoke. "D'you happen to remember how you were cursed that day in Hogsmeade?"

The three of them were taken aback by Harry's question. None of them had dared to ask Blake about it, sparing her the pain of the memories it brought.

"Harry…we'd prefer not talking ab—" Silver began before Blake put her hand out in front of her.

"It's alright Silver." She said before turning to Harry again, "I don't remember Harry, I'm sorry. I've tried, I really have. The last I remember is going into the loo, pushing the door open….and then I blacked out."

Harry frowned, disappointed with his lack of information, but decided it wasn't her fault. "That's…..w- well….I'm glad you've recovered nicely."

Silver looked at him darkly, peeved with his desire to crack mysteries even if it was at the expense of another's feelings. "Well, Harry, if you don't mind we were just about to start eating."

"Yeah, go ahead." He said, scratching the back of his neck, "Good to see you."

Some ten minutes later, Savannah and the boys walked into the great hall with their hands full of snacks and treats. Fully equipped for a lunch Blake no longer felt hungry for.

The place was buzzing with excitement. The last match of the year was coming up, and it would determine who would win the Cup. The competition was fierce on and off the pitch for the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. There had been a silent mutiny between the two houses ever since the rivals were announced – a rift that had never happened between the two houses throughout their years at school. Dominic sat across from them, fidgeting in his seat and peering down at his watch every few seconds. He had been on edge ever since, and ironically it wasn't because of his desire to win, but more of his desire to keep his team in order. They were a bit untamed for his taste, and he hadn't managed the skills to control them just yet.

The teams' seeker, Cho, was just about to enter the hall when a roaring noise erupted from the Gryffindor table, mostly from students who weren't on the actual team. Cho rolled her eyes at them and continued to make her way down the table, but the embarrassment she felt was obvious with every step she took. In a desperate attempt to dignify herself, she declared loudly as she sat, "It's a shame we're going to thrash Gryffindor at the match next week. Let's see how much cheering they can do then."

Anthony approved with a boisterous, "Yeah!" allowing the rest of the table to cat-call and applause in response.

Silver, nearly done with a slice of apple pie, excused herself to use the bathroom. She travelled into the corridors, landing in front of the girl's bathroom, and continued to walk past it. She couldn't really explain to the table that she ultimately had no desire to use the bathroom, only the desperate urge to find Draco and show him her Apparitions License; and since she was alone, which very solemnly happened, she decided to give the seventh floor a turn and see whether she would find him there. She ascended the marble steps into the second floor, and then onto the moving wooden staircase to the third, until she reached the seventh. Her footsteps echoed behind her, an unpractical thing to happen when one's intentions were to sneak up on someone without the latter knowing. She didn't find him anywhere, finding it safe to assume he was already in the Room of Requirements, or in his common room. Descending the stairs, a thought came to her mind to visit Flitwick and check her marks on a project she'd recently submitted, and so made a pit stop on the sixth floor. As she looked from classroom to classroom to find him, she became distracted by a noise. Quelling her walking, she stood still and listened hard to try to make sense of it. After a proper debate with herself, she'd decided it sounded like someone was crying and letting her ears lead her, she walked towards the gasping sound.

Before long, she found herself in front of the boys' bathroom. For a moment, she thought it might be Moaning Myrtle, who had quite the reputation for crying and brooding more often than not, but it didn't sound like a girl. Silver looked around the corridor, making sure no one was around, and took one careful step into the bathroom. Instantly, she felt as if she had broken ten million rules and was about to turn around, when a reflection on a mirror up ahead stopped her.

She could hardly believe it. It was Draco, that was where the crying had emerged from. She brought her hands up to her chest, in an attempt to control the rapid beating of her heart as she pondered whether she should get closer or not.

Well, she had promised Draco she would stand by him, and by turning back, she would be breaking that promise, wouldn't she?

Taking small, cautious steps, she emerged from behind a wall, and into plain view. Draco wouldn't see her yet, he was standing with his back to her. His back was bent and his fists were white from the pressure of his hands clutching onto either side of the sink. Moaning Myrtle was cooing beside him, her lifeless body hovering over his. The ghost tried to lay her hand on his shoulder, but it only went through him.

"Tell me what's wrong." She begged him.

She knew it was fruitless, but Silver felt pure loathing towards Myrtle for taking on the task of comforting Draco. That was supposed to be her.

"I can help you." said her high-pitched voice softly.

"_No _one can help me." he struggled to say, his hands tightening around the marble sink. "I can't…." he coughed, trying to regain his composure, "He's going to _kill _me."

"Who is?" said Silver, rooted to the spot, feeling weary of what his reaction would be.

Draco looked up at he mirror in horror. He had never looked so scared in his entire life. His breathing grew shorter, and his body was trembling. "What…..w-what are you d-doing here?" but he didn't sound upset, he sounded diluted and worn.

Ignoring Myrtle, she stepped to Draco's side and did what the ghost couldn't. She placed her hand on his shoulder. He didn't move from where he was, but turned his tear-stained face to look at her. She used her fee hand to dry his face, hoping it would be enough to soothe him.

A few moments of silence passed between them. "He told me he'll kill me if I don't do it."

It was no mystery whom he meant. Voldermort would kill him if Draco failed to carry on the mission he was assigned. There was no doubt in his threat. She felt a knot twist her throat and all the way down to her stomach. On the inside, she was in as a bad of a state as he was, but she tried not to show it. She leaned over and placed her lips on his shoulder, "I wont let him kill you."

She couldn't see his face, but it was obvious he didn't believe her. Admittedly, she wasn't quite sure if she was under any circumstances to stop Voldermort from killing anyone, but she knew that her whole world would end if Draco was gone, and so she was prepared to give her own life to save his. He deserved a better life, and she wanted nothing more than to offer him that. She wouldn't cry, instead she opted to do something about it – and if there was something she was completely sure of, it was that she wouldn't let anyone bring any harm to Draco Malfoy.

They were too wrapped up in themselves to notice the bathroom door quietly swing open.

"Silver, get away from him." Said a dark voice from the distance.

Silver lifted her head, and Draco wheeled around to see Harry standing at the door, wand raised. Draco wasted no time in drawing his own wand and sent a hex in his direction.

A wave of utter terror washed over her at the first sight of sparks and lights. "No! Stop it!" Silver began to frantically yell as spells were thrown back and forth between the boys, "Please!"

She patted herself down in search for her wand, but couldn't find it, suddenly remembering she had left it back in her trunk. "Harry! Draco!" She pleaded and throwing herself under the sink as a misguided spell nearly hit her.

Moaning Myrtle was screaming over her, her voice screeching loudly and filling the entire room. A moment later, the cistern right beneath her was broken by one of their spells and water began spilling everywhere, reaching Silver into the area beneath the sink. She got on her knees and tried to stand, nearly slipping. She shuddered at the sight before her, Draco was on the floor, his face contorted and pained, he was about to mutter a spell she couldn't quite catch when Harry cried, "Sectumsempra!" as he waved his wand in the air all around him.

It happened so fast, she couldn't quite fathom what had really happened until the smell of fresh blood filled her nose. Silver let out a shrill scream upon the sight of Draco's limp body sprawled on the ground. His face and chest was spurting blood, coloring the water from the cracked basin. Harry staggered backwards in shock - his face white. "No." he said gasping.

Silver ran over to them, pushing past Harry, and threw herself on the floor and over Draco. His shirt was scarlet and soaked in his blood. His hand was clutching at his chest and his face was in the same condition as his chest. She began crying wildly, gasping for air, and feeling as if she would faint at any moment. The bathroom around her seemed to spinning and she had to bury her hands into the tiled floor to steady herself. From behind, she could hear Harry's frantic apologies, but the sound was drowned out by that of Myrtles shill screams.

"Murder in the bathroom!" She yelled over and over again. The words reaching Silver like knives cutting through her stomach. She'd let him down, she let harm come to him, and now he was dying. She turned her body in rage at her brother, still feeling dizzy, "HOW COULD YOU?" she repeated continuously to Harry, whom she couldn't focus her eyes on enough to read his reaction.

Not a moment later the door behind them swung open and a figure in black ran into the bathroom, probably after hearing Myrtles cries for help. She felt a pair of unfamiliar hands grab her arms and pull her off of Draco. Silver let herself be moved a few feet away from him, desperately attempting to catch her breath as she watched Snape tend to Draco's wounds. Snape said something to him, and then lifted Draco off the ground, supporting him as he lead him away, "Stay here Potter." He said coldly as he looked at Harry and stalked off.

Silver stared at the remnants of what had just occurred. There was a puddle of water where Draco laid, spoiled with blood. The events began to replay in her head and all became too much of her - the smell in the air, the blood on the ground. She looked down at her own clothes to see they were also drenched in Draco's blood. Her hands were a shining crimson, as were her legs. Her head started spinning and her vision began to grow fuzzy, until it became completely black.

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**A/N: This update was made possible thanks to **HadleyConlon**. If it wasn't for her yelling, this would've never been accomplished.  
And of course, because of all of my reviewers and readers!**

**I feel like this chapter could've come out better, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what I needed to do in order for that to happen.  
Either way, I hope you guys liked it and that it came out okay :)**

**Keep reviewing! :D **


	28. Eradicated Secrets

**Eradicated Secrets**

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"Where's Harry gone?" asked Hermione, watching his figure disappear through the portrait door as she descended down the staircase.

Ron shrugged, "No idea. He came in, grabbed my book from me like he's lost something, and just ran off."

"What book?"

"The one for Potions."

Hermione knitted her brows, "That's odd, doesn't he have his own copy?"

Ron huffed, "Yeah, it's the one he treats like gold. He's nicked my book, he's snogged my sister –"

"He kissed Ginny?" Hermione said, looking rather alarmed.

Ron looked at her, his cheeks glowing red, "Yesterday night, after we won the house cup, he ran into the common room, and kissed her straight in the face!" Ron said in abhor, as if he had never heard of such a thing.

Hermione blinked for a few moments, "That's…that's something."

"D'you actually agree with this, Hermione? She's my little sister! He's my best mate!"

"Well if you put it that way," she teased, "It actually does sound too perfect to be true, doesn't it."

His eyes shot open to the size of saucers, "He's off his rocker. He's completely mad. He can't just go around snogging Ginny!"

"Ron," Hermione said disbelievingly, "You act as if Ginny's never kissed a boy, when in fact, she's kissed several."

"I didn't need to know that Hermione." Ron said, on the precipice of nausea.

"I'm sorry Ron, but I'd prefer her being with Harry, knowing he's completely brilliant, rather than with a bad loser like all her past boyfriends."

Seeming to be warming up to the idea, Ron looked at her with his round, blue eyes, "I s'pose that's true, but it doesn't matter – he should've told me."

"Told you what?" she asked, circling him and sitting on an armchair behind him, "That he was about to snog your sister?"

Ron narrowed his eyes, "Well if you say it like that…"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Hermione, "It sounds ridiculous."

He crossed his arms over his chest and joined Hermione, sitting on the arm rest. "I don't know."

As she smiled at him, Hermione rubbed his arm reassuringly, "I've got finish my Transfigurations' homework. I'll see you later?"

Just as she was about to stand, he also stood, coming frighteningly close to her in doing so. She looked at him in surprise, not realizing the way her hand was on his stomach for balance, and instantly jumping back once she did.

"s-sorry." She muttered, before spinning around.

"Wait." He said, causing her to turn around to face him, "D'you mind if I join you?"

Hermione looked stunned, "Studying?"

He grinned sheepishly, brushing red hair off his face, "Yeah."

She couldn't fight it, it was an involuntary spasm of the muscles in her face - at least that's what she told herself – and she smiled widely, feeling a giddy happiness boiling within her.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Silver stirred awake to the sights of a familiar place. The hospital wing was no stranger to her. Blinking, she slowly got a better view of the world around her, but her head was pounding. She slowly tried elevating her head, accomplishing just enough to notice she was in clean clothes. The putrid smell of blood no longer wafted her nostrils, but she still felt as if she were in the bathroom, watching Draco slowly die before her. Just then, a sense of panic filled her once again. Was he dead? Did the whole school already know Harry had killed him?

She felt her stomach contract painfully and a lump form in her throat as she tried calling out for him. Madame Pomfrey rushed to her bedside.

"It's alright Miss Potter." She said, gently laying Silver's head back on the pillow. "Mr. Malfoy will be fine, just rest for now. You can see him later."

"I need to see him now!" Silver demanded, stubbornly disallowing her head to touch the pillow.

"Please, dear, just lay down –"

"No! Where is he?" she yelled, pushing her body forward, and consequently felt as if her head were about to fall off.

"Merlin! Miss Crouch please! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"Just let me see him and I'll go back to sleep." she insisted.

Madame Pomfrey looked reluctant, and she probably wouldn't have obliged were the situation different, but she simply couldn't have a patient screaming in her hospital. It would be a horrible distraction to everyone else.

"Ok, come with me." she said as she helped Silver off the bed, throwing her arm over her shoulders to support her as she walked. The legs weren't a problem for Silver, it was her head. It was as if it had been run over by a car.

Madame Pomfrey led her into a distant corner of the room, far away from the rest of the infirmary's inhabitants and drew the curtain to reveal the blonde she had been so desperate to see. His eyes were shut tight, alarming Silver, but the gentle rise and fall of his chest signaled he was very much alive.

"He wont come round for at least another day." Madame Pomfrey said to her in a soft voice, "We've given him a lot of healing potions…lots of anti-jinxing spells…"she studied him, "it was rather strong."

"Has Harry Potter been in?" asked Silver distractedly.

The woman took a moment to answer, having heard the story herself and unsure of Silver's motives towards her brothers wanderings. "He hasn't." she said honestly, "Although his friend, Miss Granger, has been in to see you."

And then she remembered she had no idea what had landed her in the hospital wing. "And what happened to me? Why am I here?"

"Oh, nothing serious. Nothing serious at all." She smiled, "T'was only a faint you had. I couldn't blame you, it must've been quite an unpleasant thing to behond."

Silver said nothing, only freed herself from the woman's grip and proceeded to gently dragging a nearby wooden chair beside his bed.

"Miss Potter –"

"I'm going to stay here," Silver interrupted, "if you don't mind." She looked at Draco's slumbering figure, "I just know I won't be at peace until I know he's alright."

"But he is –"

"I've got to see it for myself." She said, firmly this time.

Madame Pomfrey seemed unsure of what to respond, but within a few seconds, drew the curtain forward once more and left them together.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"I heard different," said a second year Hufflepuff as he entertained a group of his peers in the Great Hall, "I heard Harry Potter's been plotting to kill Draco Malfoy for quite some time."

"So it was all planned?" piped a small girl who was listening attentively.

The boy nodded, "The whole thing. His sister was in on it too."

"Was she?" the girl said in shock, "but last I heard, Malfoy and her used to date!"

The boy shrugged, "All I know is that the Potter's intended for it to happen, Silver baited him to the loo, and Harry was there waiting for him."

The girl threw her small hands over her mouth, "I can't believe it."

"Don't," said Dominic harshly as he passed on through after a conversation with a few of his Gryffindor friends, "It isn't true. And it'd be a great help if you'd stop passing the bloody rumors in the first place."

The boy fell into his seat, shoulders hunched, waiting until Dominic disappeared to continue his story. Listening on to him banter, Dominic rolled his eyes, anxiously awaiting until he reached Blake so he could tell her what he'd learned, or rather hadn't.

Blake was already looking at him, trying to avoid the conversation around her, and nearly tackled him when he sat down. "What did you hear?"

Dominic shrugged, "Same thing everyone else is saying. Harry's nowhere in sight – neither are his friends. No one really knows what has happened."

"And with poor Silver unconscious, how are we to know anything." Blake frowned, "Dreadful what's happened."

"It isn't true though. Silver would never lure Malfoy into a trap like that. It's nonsensical." Dominic urged.

"It's…"Blake looked down, "You're right. She loves him, it _must've_ all been completely coincidental."

Dominic paused in thought, "She's never been resentful."

"Nor have I ever taken her to be anything close to a murderer." Said Blake urgently.

"Malfoy's alright though. I passed Flitwick on the way here and asked him."

Blake sighed in relief, "Thank Merlin he's okay." Lowering her voice before she continued, "When she wakes up, she's going to be a dreadful state. Could you imagine how it must feel to have to witness someone you love so much inch so close to…..death.."

Dominic closed his eyes, "I don't have to imagine." He said with great effort.

Blake waited for him to go on, her heart fluttering madly, although she was unsure why his words had stirred such a reaction.

"A girl I fancy, although I realized it too late, well….she was cursed a few months ago, and I thought I was never going to see her again."

Blake's breath caught. She had to control every atom in her body so as to keep it from shaking.

Dominic met her topaz eyes in order to read her reaction. "But she's alright now, and I don't think I've ever been happier to see someone in my life."

Although the description seemed very similar to the recent events in her life, she was still hesitant to react.

"Blake.."he said softly, taking her hand in his own, "Sometime after this is all over…..how would you like to come out with me?"

She smiled, "On a date?"

"Yeah." He grinned.

She squeezed his hand, "What took you so long?"

Dominic laughed, and so did she, as they both held hands and found the comfort they'd both been seeking for a very long time.

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**A/N: Haa! I just realized that I made Blake and Dominic, Silver's Hermione and Ron! It wasn't intentional, but I guess it better explains the coincidences in Silver and Harry's life no?**

**Anywhoo, I'm sorry guys! I took really long again I have an explanation though, so before I get any hate mail, let me explain (: **

**I went out of town for two weeks, I was staying at St. Augustine with my gramdma, and she doesn't own a computer so there was no way I could update, unfortunately. Although, I can't really say I had the chapter ready, because that would be a lie, I wrote this all today, so I hope it's up to par (:**

**I'm going to try to update again before school starts, because then I know it'll get even more complicated to take the needed hours to sit down and write.**

**Thank you for your reviews! They're awesesome!**  
**Please keep them coming :D**


	29. Forgiveness and Deception

**Forgiveness and Deception**

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The infirmary was quiet. Quiet enough for Silver to doze off into a light sleep from her chair at Draco's bedside. The sun lazily slipped behind the mountainous backdrop of the school, and the dark night settled. Much in need of a peaceful slumber, Silver let her mind wander into unconsciousness, allowing the formation of her dreams take its course. What happened as she slept was unexpected and inescapable. The figure of a man being murdered before her very eyes consumed her. The victim's face was undetectable, as it was covered in shadows, but it was no less horrifying to watch. Her surroundings were cold and dark, and it was almost impossible to count how many were present or who they were. She only knew they were there. In an urge of curiosity, she began to walk, but moved not an inch out of place. Anxiety began to build in her chest, feelings of entrapment frightening her as she struggled to move – it wasn't until then had her presence seemed noticed by the others. There were murmurs in unfriendly and snappish tones, and before she could make anything out of it, she saw a bright flash of light come towards her. She felt nothing. That was the problem; she felt nothing – except for the freezing temperature and stiffness of her own body. She tried to scream, fighting for a chance to move again when her eyes shot open and she caught sight of the bright lights overhead, scared stiff, until she realized she was back in the hospital.

She had died.

Her heart pounded with the revelation of the happenings in her dream. She and a man had both died in her nightmare.

She felt so sick and distressed that she had failed to notice anything else around her. Her hand reached for her face to discover it was wet with fallen tears. It was all so vivid, for a moment she really had felt as if everything _had_ ended and thoughts of a death she wasn't ready for filled her.

_It was only a nightmare, _she repeated to herself over and over, _none of it was real._

And then she remembered Draco. She lifted her head to find him, but his bed was empty. Standing up, she looked around her for any sign of him or his whereabouts, only to discover she was alone.

She looked down at the messy sheets, evidence that he had made a hasty exit, and then at the nightstand. She walked towards it, picking up the white parchment lying there, and opened it.

_Don't come looking for me._

_Be safe,_

_Draco_

She could hardly believe it. There she was, jeopardizing her own health by staying with Draco, although she was told not to, and he had simply left without a worry. Angry and hurt, she marched out of the hospital and down the corridors, finding her way to the common room. Upon entering, she was greeted by an antsy Dominic.

"We went to the infirmary to find you but Madame Pomfrey didn't allow us in." he began in an apologetic tone, "How are you?"

Her lips quivered, gently downturning into a frown and this was all Dominic needed to see to realize that this wasn't the place Silver should be . He took her hand, and led her outside – a few hours left before curfew – so they could talk. Blake had noticed them leave and followed after, with Luna at her tail. He didn't know where to take her at first, until an idea came to him of finding the solitude they needed in the Pitch, but quickly remembered it was too late to leave the castle, and so opted for the owlery – which was technically part of the castle, or so he convinced himself.

They travelled through a portrait, descending several floors of stairs as they followed the curvature of the tower higher and higher until the very top. He swung the door open, alarming a large grey owl who had perched atop the rarely used entrance to flying away and leaving a few of his feathers behind.

"Why are we at the owlery?" asked Blake, "It's not the time to write letters!"

Dominic narrowed his eyes, "It was the only place I could think of that wouldn't be crawling with people."

Luna silently agreed, watching Silver's face contort several times as if she were suppressing a flood of emotions. "I don't believe Harry attempted to kill Draco." she said, jumping straight into it.

Blake shot her a warning glance, but Luna didn't notice.

"I don't even know how it happened," Silver said biting her lip, "All I know is that it was my fault."

"Don't take responsibility for their behavior, Sil." Said Dominic.

She shook her head, "It wouldn't have happened if Harry hadn't found Draco and I together."

"And how can you be so sure?" asked Blake skeptically, "I don't think those two even _need_ a reason to fight."

The group halted to a silence. The owlery was a circular room within a high tower, purposely made for the owls to be comfortable, although not so much for the humans. The walls were spotted with small nooks for the owls to rest when they weren't in flight. Silver could see Hermes up ahead, who had his large yellow eyes firmly planted on her, having already recognized his owner.

She felt so heavy, it was hard to explain. It was an overwhelming guilt she just couldn't help but feel for everything that had happened. And now she felt more alone than ever, despite the three friends with her.

"And…" Blake hesitated, "..is Draco okay?"

Silver took a moment to answer, "You know, I waited for him," she turned around to face them, "at his bedside..for hours…it was so quiet….so peaceful….i fell sleep, only for a little while," her voice was quiet, but slowly elevated as the anger within her began to rise, "and you know what he does? _He leaves._ And even better than that, he leaves me a note." She reaches down into her pocket to pull it out into view, "_This_ note that tells me _not_ to go looking for him!" As she spoke she wrinkled it in her hands and threw it out in front of her.

Blake looked down at it sadly, and then up again, "Maybe he did it for your own good…this quarreling doesn't seem like it'll ever stop –"

"And I _can't take it anymore_!" said Silver, startling everyone, "I can't….I can't d-do it." and then the tears fell, hard, as if they would never stop.

Blake rushed to her and wrapped her arms around her trembling shoulders, "It's okay, it's going to be alright." She whispered.

Dominic and Luna watched on helplessly, Dominic fighting the urge to find Harry and Draco and hex them with the strongest one he could think of. And a few tear-filled moments later, the opportunity arose for him. Harry cleared his throat behind them, although he was terrified of the reaction his sister's friends would have at his appearance. Dominic turned around, his expression transforming from one of sympathy to utter rage.

"And what are you doing here, Potter?" he spat, sounding the most angry anyone had ever head.

Harry, although feeling deserving of his treatment, kept firm, "I just need to talk to Silver."

Raging, Dominic stared back at him in disbelief, "I think you've done enough harm."

"I didn't –"

"Listen, Harry, it might be best if you just left." chimed Blake, still kneeling besides Silver's distraught figure.

Luna looked back and forth, "I think Harry should be to explain himself."

"I don't." retorted Dominic, "Now isn't the time."

"Then when is?" beckoned Harry, "Tomorrow when her anger has settled and she's determined to never see me again?"

Dominic was about to agree when Luna cut him off, "Let him, Dom."

"I can still speak for myself, you know." Said Silver from behind them, her voice throaty, "And I saw what happened." She said, now directing her full attention at Harry, "I know that Draco was the first to fire…and I know that it was probably out of defense because your wand at the ready."

Harry listened to her intently, watching her stand and face him head-on, "You two were ready to kill each other…and were it not for Snape coming in precisely when he did – Draco would be dead.." the tears were forming again, "and _his blood would've been in your hands."_

Her body remained calm, although her face showed the complete opposite. After looking her over, Harry saw something he had missed before. She looked old and serious; much like Draco did these days. It was as if she was going through the same things as him, although Harry knew that couldn't be true. Silver would never partake in anything concerning Voldermort, not even if Draco was involved.

And then, upon closer scrutinization, he noticed the dullness in her stare. They no longer exuded the warmth and kinship they once did when she looked at him. Neither was it hatred or anger, for it was much worse. It was disappointment.

"I think you should go." Said Dominic forcefully, having heard the last of Silver's woes and determined to evict the source of them.

Harry didn't move, not even when Dominic walked over to him and pulled at his elbow to move him away.

"No." Harry fought back, realizing what was happening, "I'm not done, Dominic, _please." _ He begged, pushing forward. "I didn't mean for any of it to happen!"

"Blimey! Get off him!"

And not a moment later, Harry was joined by a familiar ginger who shook Harry free from Dominic's grip. "What do you think you're doing, Dates?"

In defense, Dominic only stared back at him. Hermione turned the corner, finding a place right in between Dominic and Harry, just in time to keep Ron from advancing any closer to him. "Stop it, the both of you!"

It almost didn't seem real, the rift between Silver and Harry. Their friends had always got on well, and now they were screaming at the top of their lungs at each other. She could barely stand the scene. Blake, Ron, Hermione, Dominic, and Harry, all screaming names at each other – it was a scene Silver never imagined to see. Her only consolation was Luna's absentminded silence. She seemed to prefer not getting stuck in the middle of a quarrel between two of her dearest friends.

It was a path Silver regretted not choosing. She should've just stayed out of it. Now she was planted right in between Harry and Draco, the two people most important to her, without an allegiance to either one of them. Yet, she was cunning enough to see the both of them, without either of them knowing of her doing so.

The secrets. The deception. It was all drowning her, and were it not for Luna's mediation amongst their friends, it might've escalated into something worse. Something she was, once again, responsible for catalyzing.

"Stop it!" she heard herself screaming, "Just stop.." and as she did, she briskly walked towards Harry, pulling him away from everyone else so that the two of them can handle this in the manner only a brother and sister would.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

"We're on alert." Echoed Remus throughout his living room.

"For what?" asked Tonks, sitting beside Arthur Weasley on the couch.

Remus looked at her thoughtfully, "Dumbledore's warned us this would happen, and it's nearly time."

Arthur looked around, brushing a hand through his thinning red hair, "We've got to tell the rest of the order."

"Precisely." Stated Remus, "but in the most enigmatic manner possible. No one can know of this, especially not the children."

Arthur nodded in agreement, "I'll find a way."

"Excellent. We'll be headed to Hogwarts the day after tomorrow."

"It's happening at Hogwarts?" asked Tonks wearily.

Remus sat on the coffee table in front of the pair, "Most likely." He said grimly, "Regardless, we would have to protect the students, and the school."

Arthur's face wrinkled solemnly. He didn't have to say it, it was clear he was overwhelmingly worried for his children. "This wouldn't involve Harry would it?"

Remus shrugged.

"Ron has quite a knack for dragging himself into trouble when Harry's involved." He tried smiling, in order to find the humor in the situation, but it only lasted a second.

Arthur's words resonated with Remus, for he couldn't stop thinking about Silver as well. No one was supposed to know, but Dumbledore confided in Remus about his reasoning with Severus Snape – although it hardly seemed reasonable at all. Draco had to kill Dumbledore, and he desperately hoped Silver wouldn't involve herself with either of them. Although he thought himself selfish to think of her first when Dumbledore's life was rushing to an unfair finale, but he knew he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her while he was there to prevent it.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

"I don't really even have an explanation for why I did it." rued Harry in the privacy he only shared with Silver, "I just don't understand how you could see him the way you do."

Silver nodded and urged him to continue.

"He's dangerous, he isn't on our side – "

"Our side?"

Harry's eyes focused behind his black-rimmed spectacles, "His father is working with Voldermort…and I'll bet anything he is too."

To this, Silver had no objection. She couldn't continue lying to them, and so she preferred to stay silent. "I'd just prefer if you two stopped fighting."

"It isn't on my effort alone. The challenge is getting _him_ to agree as well, and he wont."

The truth in his words slapped her straight in the face, but she couldn't admit it – not now. "Forget it." she sighed.

"I was stupid to experiment an unknown spell on him, I know. I wouldn't have done it I'd known how strong it was…..I was just looking out for you." he said, "you're the only family I've got left."

She hated him for saying that, because all of a sudden, she didn't feel as strong as before. "I know."

Forgiving him would come with time. Harry was wrong, and he'd admitted it. The truth of the matter was, Draco was alright, and she could put this behind her eventually. But would Harry ever forgive her? Were he ever to find out of all the secrets she'd kept from him, would he ever trust her again?

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

The tension tickled Hermione's bones as she stood close to Ron, watching Luna and Blake furtively. Dominic stood further back. His eyes occasionally drifted towards Blake, but repeatedly drifted to the same spot on the ground almost instantly after. Ron looked over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of Silver and Harry's bent figures and wrinkled his nose. He nudged Hermione, and consequently, she looked back as well before her eyes fell on Ron's blue orbs. Silently communicating and with a gentle nod, Hermione spoke.

"Harry didn't understand the consequences of the spell he had cast in the bathroom that day." she frowned, shifting her legs uncomfortably, "He'd read it in a book, and through lack of better judgment, used it in his defense when the time called for it."

Ron looked down, "He didn't know it would be so bloody dangerous."

"He should've been smarter about it." Hermione confirmed, "But the thing about Harry is that he's extremely impulsive. He gets through rough spots strictly on nerve alone."

Luna seemed to be in accordance with them, for she nodded animatedly, "He's lucky. If it weren't for that, he would've never survived against you-know-who all those times."

Blake smiled, "I'm sorry – well we're all sorry. We shouldn't have turned against each other like that."

"And it wont ever happen again." Luna confirmed.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

It was time.

The last of the birds had come back fully intact. The vision scared him more than anything else in the world. Something that was supposed to bring him an heir of victory, made him wish he could run away and never look back. Once he alerted his aunt, as he was instructed to do so, his safe haven would be tainted with evil. Hogwarts would no longer be an unpolluted infrastructure, because of his doing.

He couldn't bear to look at the bird. He decided he needed the night to think, to find a way out of this, and so he collected his things and exited the Room of Requirements.

"You finished Malfoy?" asked a little boy outside.

Draco looked down at Crabbe, or rather Timothy Caldwell, and nodded. "Let's go."

Draco's lean figure briskly brushed the corridors, Crabbe trumping behind - lacking his friend's grace. Draco could hear his heavy footsteps from behind, and for some reason, the sound put him on edge. They rounded a corner, descended the stairs, and slowed their pace in order to mute their footsteps. All the while, Draco tried to deal with the strange feelings overcoming him. The ache in his stomach, his sweaty palms. It was really happening. There was no turning back.

He would murder Dumbledore tomorrow.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Although, I would like to see more reviews this time around (: **

**School's kept me busy, and I'm sure it's done the same for most of you as well. So I wish you all luck on your first few days back at school! **

**Only a few chapters left, and then I'll be posting the next part of the From Salem to Hogwarts series! I've been so excited for this, because I really want to post the ending already! It's already written ( and I'm very proud of it) but it still needs a few tweaks here and there. So if it takes me over a week to post it, bear with me, or better – hurry me up by yelling! I have not yet decided on a name for the next story, but once I do, you guys will be the first to know (;**

**Have a beautiful day, loves x**

**And please review! **


	30. Pending Disaster

**Pending Disaster**

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That morning, Harry had a dreary feeling in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't quite relate the emotion to anything in particular that had occurred recently, but it wouldn't go away. He watched Ginny as she took a sip of pumpkin juice beside him, unable to resist a feeling of escalating happiness.

Ever since the day he kissed her, risking Ron's friendship and Ginny's rejection, everything had felt so right. Ginny was everything he ever needed, and the more he began to confide in her, the quicker he realized she was his best friend, and his girlfriend.

He took the bagel she was buttering from her hand, playfully.

"Harry!" she cried, "Give it back."

He held it out of her reach, enjoying her struggles to regain possession of her breakfast. "D'you really want it back?"

Ginny sat still and smiled deviously, making him quite nervous. She kept his gaze with her light brown eyes and brought his face closer to hers. "I think there's something else I would like more." She whispered on his lips, before closing the space and letting herself enjoy his sweet kiss. Although, she rather enjoyed his kisses, she had her motives – and reclaimed her bagel within seconds.

Harry pouted when she separated, desperately wanting to take her away from the Great Hall and to a more private location.

"That's gross." Said Ron as he joined the pair, with Hermione at his side. "I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth."

Ginny rolled her eyes, deciding to take another bagel and re-buttering it as she ignored Ron's irritating presence.

"Sorry mate. Ginny's just out of control." Teased Harry.

"Oy." Said Ginny in surprise, "That's a lie."

Hermione laughed, "I think it's cute. You guys have finally realized you're perfect for each other."

Ron glanced at her sideways, making a face. "Please Hermione, I'm trying to eat."

Hermione giggled, but only in an effort to conceal her feelings. Would Ron ever realize how great _they _would be together?

"That's it!" announced Ron, after witnessing his sister and Harry share another kiss. "I'm sitting somewhere else. Lets go Hermione."

She preferred if he didn't demand she went with him, but simultaneously, she felt happy he wanted her to. Either way, she didn't feel very comfortable sitting with Harry and Ginny – not when they were so blissfully happy while she suffered from, what seemed to be, perpetual heart ache.

Forgetting she was following Ron, Hermione decided to ask where he was taking her.

"I dunno. Where do you want to go?"

Hermione looked back, "I thought you were hungry?"

Ron frowned, adamantly refusing to ever see them snogging again, "I think I lost my appetite."

She couldn't help but bring a certain someone back to his attention, "That's how you and Lavender were a few months ago in case you don't remember."

Ron stopped walking, looking down at his feet, "Was it really that nauseating?"

Hermione shook her head, much to Ron's astonishment, but then explained herself. "It was much worse."

He didn't know what else to say, except that he regretted ever having dated her. Had he been patient, he could be with Hermione now, but he knew there was a long road ahead before they reached that point. More to himself than to her, he had to prove he was capable of loving Hermione the way she deserved…the way he wanted to. For that to happen, all trace of Lavender had to be removed from his system, just as well as Hermione's – that way she wouldn't have any doubts in thinking she was the most important thing in his life.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

"I don't understand why we've got so much work assigned all of a sudden. It's like it all just comes to get you at the end of the term." said Savannah. The stress of graduation in a few days was getting to her, and she was a complete wreck.

"I can't believe I wont be coming back here next year." She crooned, memorizing every detail of the common room in dearest hopes of imprinting it to memory. "What am I going to do without Hogwarts?"

Blake sympathized. The time she had been away at the hospital made her also realize how cherished this school was to her. She feared her condition would keep her away from the castle for too long, shortening one of her last years here, for there was only one more left.

"We live in such a lovely world and there is so much more out there we need to explore!" implored Luna, smiling widely, "endless discoveries to make…different countries to visit."

Savannah smirked. How she wished she had just a tad of Luna's enthusiasm for the world. There was nothing she knew better than Hogwarts, it was her home, and the sadness of leaving it behind, _forever_, was overwhelming her.

"You've still got a few weeks here, love. Enjoy them to the fullest and quit fretting about the future." Said Silver earnestly before she realized how hypocritical her words were.

_Quit fretting about the future_.

It seems like all she could ever do is think about that awful nightmare, and whether it would ever come true. She imagined the next time she would see Draco, and how enraged she was with him, but how she wanted nothing more than to be wrapped in his arms again. Indeed, the differentiating mindsets were obvious between the group of friends. Savannah craved the nostalgia of her years at Hogwarts, while Silver craved the memories of her and Draco together.

"You're right. I should just stop thinking about it."said Savannah, relinquishing all further mention of it for the hours they spent together.

Later that day, Harry had his usual meeting with Dumbledore at his office, and he wanted to tell him about his suspicions that Draco would soon carry out whatever it is he was assigned, but there was hardly time for any of that, for at his arrival Dumbledore informed him of the dangerous task that lay ahead: to aid him in the retrieval of a horcrux.

Harry walked at an alarmingly quick speed from the Headmaster's office into the common room to find Ron and Hermione sitting together on a couch beside the fire.

"Harry?" Hermione wondered quickly, watching him leave, and passing a questioning glance at Ron.

Within seconds, Harry rushed down the stairs again, nearly running in their direction and blurting, "I'm leaving…with Dumbledore."

His statement was met with anxiety, "What are you talking about, Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Listen to me Hermione, I heard Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement." Harry said with the sternest face his friends had ever seen on him, "Dumbledore isn't going to be here tonight, that means Malfoy's got a clear shot at whatever it is he's up to."

"Harry." She said dismissively, "What makes you think it was Malfoy?"

He ignored her, shoving the Mauraders map into her hand, "Here, you've got to watch him, I'm serious Hermione, listen, watch him and Snape too." Hermione stared at him, "Gather the D.A., anyone you can, as quickly as you can."

"Harry." She said, this time her eyes were wide in fear.

"And you're going to need this too, Ron." Harry hastily said, shoving a sock at Ron, "Open it, go on, it's Felix Felicis, you'll all need it."

"No!" Ron said aghast, "You take it! you need it more than we do!"

"No I wont, I'll be with Dumbledore remember?" he said succinctly, "So you're going to listen to what I told you?"

Hermione looked at him, her lip trembling, "Yes, but –"

"No buts, gather the D.A. and patrol the corridors. Don't let anything in or out, do you hear me?"

Ron and Hermione nodded and with that, Harry was off and through the portrait hole. They both stared after him, and then at each other.

"Hermione, what's happening?" Ron said, the nerves in his voice evident.

She shook her head, "Something serious. You don't suppose Harry was right, about Malfoy I mean?"

A fretting look on Ron's face answered her question, and she nodded in comprehension. "Ginny, I'll go get Ginny."

Ron seemed to have digested what she was doing, "Yeah, good idea, and I'll go get Silver…and Luna." He began his way to the portrait hole when he was abruptly thwarted by Hermione's voice.

"No!" She said instantly, but withdrew, "Stay here, Ron, _please_." Her brown eyes pleaded with him.

He smiled reassuringly at her, "I'll go get Neville then."

Upon his word, she finished her way up the stairs to the girls dormitories and knocked on the dormitories for the fifth years. When it didn't open right away, she impatiently turned the knob to find most of the girls already ready for bed.

"What's gotten into you Hermione?" Ginny asked from the center of the room, seeming to voice what the entire room was thinking.

"Come with me, Ginny, _now_." She said urgently, expecting Ginny to follow her as she turned on her heel and ran back down the stairs. Ron was already down there with an unsteady Neville at his side, who instantly attacked Hermione for answers.

"What's going on Hermione? Why are you lot so nervous?" He asked, his lips trembling.

Ginny finally joined them, "I could ask the same thing myself." She gave the room a quick glance, "Where's Harry?"

Hermione looked at Ron for reassurance, "Harry's gone off with Dumbledore." And before anyone could interrupt, Ron continued, "He wants us to patrol the corridors with the D.A. and monitor, " he said unraveling the map he was holding, "Malfoy and Snape on the map."

"Why?" Ginny asked dubiously but feeling a bit disconcerted at the idea of having Harry outside of the school, in potential danger.

"Because Harry's asked us too." Hermione snapped, "And if I might be so bold to say…that…that's a good enough reason for us to do it."

Ginny's face softened, "Alright then, who's missing? We need Silver." And a flinch of worry crossed her, "Unless…she hasn't gone off with them too, has she?"

"I don't know, Harry was alone when he came up here." Ron pondered, "Let's get up to Ravenclaw tower."

Ginny was scared for her friend, the thought of Silver being dragged into this mess as well was disturbing. Harry had braved many dangerous encounters, but the chance of Silver possessing the same nerve as her brother was miniscule. Ginny took the lead, brushing past her brother and out of the portrait hole. The corridors were barren, not a soul was out at this time. The darkness of the castle was unsettling, and the night sky seemed to be even darker than it usually was while they all seemed to realize how far of a walk Ravenclaw tower was.

"I know a shortcut." Hermione said, looking at Ron, "We found out about it patrolling one night, remember Ron?"

Ron nodded, "This way." And he valiantly lead the group to a painting, on which he muttered a few words, and it slid open upon request. He let Hermione slide on first, and then Ginny, but went on ahead after Neville's hesitation at the entrance.

The walls weren't nearly four feet apart and they were rimmed with cobwebs and old remnants of candlesticks. Ron's head was nearly at height with the roof, and Neville was forced to duck his head. The eerie silence hung above them as they walked as fast as they possibly could, until finally Ron slid upon a stony wall ahead of them and slipped through. Each followed after. The passageway lead tem directly opposite of the staircase that lead up to the door of the Ravenclaw common room.

"Don't they have a password of sorts that we should know about?" Neville clattered.

Ginny shook her head, "No, Silver told me, they've got to solve a riddle." She said curtly, sparing Hermione a cursory glance.

"What if I can't solve it?" Hermione said disheartedly, taking Ginny's hint.

"Your brilliant Hermione, you can solve it, I know you can." Ron said with a sudden rush of courage, much to Hermiones pleasure. And with a whim of determination, Hermione marched up the stairs, and faced the bronze knocker.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/**

Sliver faced her own reflection as she dismissively played with her hair in the mirror besides a small vanity in her dormitory. She found herself spacing out. And the odd thing was, that she was having that _dream_, but she was fully awake. Her heart started pounding for some unknown reason, for she didn't find anything exciting about her reflection. She inhaled a sharp breath, and as she did a rather fretful image of Draco's face overwhelmed with a distraught expression entered her mind. Her heart began to beat faster.

She let go of her hair, letting it brush her arm and fall down to her waist. A sharp feeling in her stomach told her there was something wrong, something she was missing. As her vision once again became clouded with a vision of her beloved headmaster lying motionless on the floor , she pushed back her seat and rushed out of the room. She was about to turn back when she realized she only had her uniform and was in lack of her black robes, but that ache in her stomach didn't let her.

She ran down the stiars and barely had the time to notice Blake and Dominic sending questioning looks in her direction. Luna was standing idly against the wall by the door, prompting Silver to believe she might need help if anything she was imagining were to actually unravel.

"Luna, would you come with me?" She said, cautiously grabbing her upper arm, as Luna obliged and let herself be dragged by Silver. With haste, Silver prodded the doorknob open, and much to her surprise found Hermione, Ron, and Ginny at the other end.

"What are you doing here?" Silver asked.

Hermione, seeming frustrated by something, answered first, "We came to get you." She proceeded to closing the door shut behind Silver, "Harry's gone off with Dumbledore, and he's asked us to patrol the corridors."

"And to keep an eye on Malfoy and Snape." Ron said, eyeing Silver cautiously at the mention of Draco.

Silver's green eyes became the size of small golf balls as she was suddenly realized what was going to happen, "Where's Dumbledore?"

"We don't know." Hermione said, beginning to lead the lot downstairs, "But I'm worried."

Silver, internally battling herself as to whether she should divulge them with the dreams she had been having lately, stood silent.

"Where are they, Draco and Snape I mean." Luna prompted.

Ron registered what she said and searched his pockets for the map, pulling it out along with his wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He chanted, as the map opened to reveal the entire castle and all of it's inhabitants.

Silver could see their names all huddled together outside of the tower, and the dots that read Blake and Dominic inside. Anthony and Terry were in their dormitory, and the only figure roaming the corridors was Filch. After giving the map a quick scan Ron spoke, "Snape's in his office."

"But Draco isn't on the map.." Silver interrupted.

Hermione looked at her knowingly, "He's in the room of requirements."

Silver mulled this over. It couldn't be Draco the one that killed Dumbledore in her dreams could it? Her breath caught in her throat and she found it exceedingly difficult to breathe _and_ think simultaneously. She was suddenly overwhelmed with fear, but not for herself – for Draco.

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**A/N: ta-dum! I think this has been my fastest update in a while. There's only one or two chapters left, depending on how I space them out, and then I'll get to work on the sequel to the sequel ( is there a name for that? )**

**So I wrote this chapter with the idea that most of you had read half-blood prince, because I didn't really get into the parts that ultimately led up to Harry's decision about Draco. However, if you guys didn't read, feel free to message me and ask me to fill you in, or if not i'm pretty sure the film gives you a good idea.**

**Anyhoo, school's busy - as always. Bright side: the weekend is almost here! YAY! :D **

**Please review (: I live for them.**


	31. Endangered Lives

**Endangered Lives**

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"_But Draco isn't on the map.." Silver interrupted._

_Hermione looked at her knowingly, "He's in the room of requirements."_

_Silver mulled this over. It couldn't be Draco the one that killed Dumbledore in her dreams could it? Her breath caught in her throat and she found it exceedingly difficult to breathe and think simultaneously. She was suddenly overwhelmed with fear, but not for herself – for Draco._

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/**

"Alright then, if we're supposed to patrol the corridors then pick one, everyone." Silver said.

"I'll stand outside of Snape's office." Hermione stated, causing Ron to look at her worriedly and respond, "You can't be there alone."

"I'll go with her." Luna volunteered.

"So will I." Neville said with an uncharacteristic bravery.

Ron, with a slight hint of disappointment in his face, then said, "Right – then I'll go up to the Room of Requirement with you two."

Silver nodded and looked at Ginny, who agreed as well.

"First, everyone take a swig of this." Ron said, holding out the Felix Felicis in his pocket.

Within seconds, they had all split up and went in their designated directions. Silver tailed Ron, who was cautiously turning every corner, when he crashed into someone. Silver and Ginny gasped with fear, believing they had walked straight into a deatheater, until the moonlight from a nearby window shone on his face.

"Remus?" Silver said, happily approaching him with an embrace.

"What are you three doing out of your rooms?" He said anxiously.

"Something's happening isn't it?" Silver asked, "That's why you're here."

Remus hesitated, "The order is here, and we're all on high alert.."

"The astronomy tower" Silver said suddenly, eyeing them each and taking great caution at their reactions to the unraveling information,"Whatever's happening, is going to take place at the Astronomy Tower."

They all looked at her skeptically. "How do you know that?" Remus asked worriedly, carrying ill-solicited suspicion in his tone.

"I don't know, I just do." She admitted, "But Dumbledore's in danger."

Ron and Ginny exchanged troubled looks as Remus stared blankly ahead, seemingly hypnotized by his thoughts.

She waited anxiously for a reaction from Remus, but it never came. "Listen, I don't know how I know this, but I've have been having these dreams.." Silver breathed, "And all of them occur at the Astronomy tower, and I see Dumbledore, on the floor…"

"Has this happened to you before Silver?" Remus asked.

She thought it over, and nodded, "For all my divinations assignments, I've written down what's happened during this visions I get, and they come true."

Ginny gasped, "So you have visions of the future then?"

Silver shrugged, shaking her head, "I have no idea."

Remus studied her with a most curious expression on his face. "Do you have any gaps in your memory?"

"What d'you mean?"

Remus had an idea of what could've happened to her, but he wanted to make sure he was correct in his thinking, and thus she would have to identify the missing pieces alone, "Is there anything you feel like you don't remember doing? Or have you ever woken up in a place feeling unsure of how you got there?"

Silver took some time to digest this information. The difficult part was trying to differentiate the dreams she's been having to actual memories. And then, it was all clear to her. In the summer, she recalled, Lucy and Rupert accompanied her to look for Harry. She couldn't remember anything, but waking up to a strange neighborhood with Dumbledore at her side.

"There is something.." She began. And then, before anyone could speak further, a noise erupted from somewhere upstairs.

"Malfoy." Ron said quickly, hurriedly grabbing Silver and Ginny's arms and taking them upstairs. Silver nearly tripped on the stairs, but balanced herself in time to make it to the seventh floor. Ron walked forward, his wand at the ready, and landed outside the barren wall that within held the Room of Requirements.

Silver's mind was clouded with so many thoughts, she was drowning in them. First she dreams about Dumbledore dieing, and now, it could very well be true. She wished for the opportunity to tell Remus about her discovery, but it was too late. Her heart was racing, and she too, held out her wand, although hers was slightly shaking. And what if Draco _did_ come out of the room? She wasn't going to hurt him. She just couldn't.

They stood outside for what seemed to be days, all the while Silver avoided Ginny and Ron's questioning glances. Ginny struggled to find something appropriate to say, but admittedly, found nothing. After deciding that the silence was killing her, Silver opted for something to say, something that was preventing her from thinking of anything else.

"What if," Both Ron and Ginny turned their heads to where she stood between them, "If..it is Draco that walks out of there with an army of deatheaters in tow?"

Ron squared his shoulders, knowing Silver was seeking reassurance he couldn't provide. "You know that we'll have to stop him." he said in a small voice.

Her palms began to show signs of perspiration, "How?"

Ginny grabbed her friend's free hand, "Our main objective here, is to make sure nothing dangerous gets into the castle. Malfoy can hardly be considered as _dangerous_. I don't think we'll need to take any _drastic_ measures with him."

And almost by mocking coincidence, a door formed, swung open, and revealed Draco Malfoy's pale figure. At first, he had his back to the trio, unknowing of their presence for he seemed to be fretfully communicating with others. With a slight turn, he was met by the immistakibly red hair of Ron Weasley. They'd found him. He began to panic as he saw Silver emerge from behind Ron, instantly cutting away from him and Ginny and rushing over to Draco. She lowered her wand to her side to take his shaking hand in hers.

"Please," she muttered, "please don't tell me …" she couldn't finish the sentence. Her breath sounded more like gasps for air as the reality of it all dawned upon her. Behind him, a number of cloaked figures emerged from the shadowy depths of the room. She slowly drew away from him, debating whether she was doing the right thing, until Ron grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him.

Draco looked at Silver in defeat. His face twisted as if he were in some sort of agonizing pain before he broke the intensity of their gaze and reached for something in his pocket, and at once, threw it in the air above them. Instantly, everything went pitch black. Silver threw her arms out, trying to find Ginny or Ron when she felt herself grab a hold of a long cloak. It didn't take long to recognize she accidently had a hold of one of the deatheaters and let go, but not before she was pushed aside with great force and fell on the floor, a small moan escaping her lips. She tried to push herself up from the ground, cautiously feeling around her for anything, and then reached for her wand. She was ready to chant a defensive spell when she realized she had no idea where her friends were, and couldn't take the risk of hurting them. So instead, she muttered "Lumos."

The light was barely enough to see a few inches in front of her, but as she walked forward, Ginnys long red hair came into view.

"Ginny, where's Ron?" She said, grabbing her arm.

But there was no need to look for him, because only a few seconds later the smoke was beginning to clear. It wasn't long before the corridor was nearly back to it's normal lighting and they could all see again.

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." Ron said bitterly, "Fred and George sell it at their shop!"

Ginny narrowed her eyes, "C'mon we've got to warn the others that Malfoy got past us."

Silver stood rooted at the spot and if it weren't for Ginny forcing her to move, she would've spent the rest of the night there, dwelling in the sweet delight of ignorance. They followed Ron, who had seemed to be struck with a strong sense of leadership in the light of things, and after a few twists and turns they ran into some members of the order. "Malfoy ran past us, and he has a load of death eaters with him!" Ron yelled at the approaching figures, Tonks and Lupin in the lead.

Remus stopped to make sure they were all still together,"To the astronomy tower then." He ordered, with the intentions of glancing at Silver, but to have realized she wasn't there. "Where's Silver?" he asked in panic.

Ron and Ginny looked around in surprise, for they were just realizing that she wasn't there. "Where did she go, Ginny?" Ron asked, his voice cracking, "She was right behind us!"

Ginny stiffened. Silver couldn't. She wouldn't. But the evidence was all around her, Silver had intentionally snuck away from them, and it suddenly became obvious. "She's going to try and talk Malfoy out of it."

Ron's face twisted, "No, she can't be that thick."

And lacking the time to dwell on Ron's doubts, Remus and Tonks darted upstairs, rushing to the Astronomy Tower.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Silver departed from the group when she spotted a staircase she frequently used to get to her Divinations classroom throughout the year. Without the slightest intentions of being held back, she disappeared when Ginny and Ron rounded a corner, and fled up the stairs. She immediately regretted travelling off alone when met with the sight that awaited her when she arrived. A curl of black was draped around Draco, each prodding him and seeming to be in a deep discussion.

"Do it now." One of them said, eyeing Draco.

Draco looked shaken, his bold confidence had been thwarted. He was all out of options. He listened to a few deatheaters delivering orders of who was to stay behind, while the other half probed him for a response. Amidst the conversation, a small flicker of light in a shadowy corner caught his attention. And almost instantly, it disappeared. Secretly he hoped there was someone there who could help him get out of this mess. And once it began to move, he felt an increasing pressure in his chest, until finally he could no longer feel a heartbeat, for Silver was standing right before his very eyes. He tried everything to make her understand she had to turn around and leave before the rest of them noticed her. Hadn't she read his note? He urged her not to come find him...yet, there she was.

One of the deatheaters was quick to notice Draco's panic and turned around to look at her, amused. She recognized the large, lopsided man to be Amycus, someone she had seen several times at Malfoy manor. And the very same wizard who accidently, or so he said, cursed her when she was younger. Amycus seemed to recognize her as well, because his shrewd lips upturned.

"Well, isn't this a laugh!" he bellowed, much to Draco's dismay, "You all remember Barty Crouch's 'daughter',eh? Well, here she is!"

"You don't mean the orphan that has now been linked to be the Potter's daughter?" said another she didn't recognize in a teasing tone.

"The very same." Reaffirmed Amycus with a grin.

Silver extended her arm further, lancing her wand as menacingly as she could.

Amycus laughed, sobering when he inched towards his wand and aimed at her. "Too bad it was only accidental last time, eh Potter? Maybe this time, I can really hit you with a curse -"

But before he had a chance to act further, Draco, in complete lack of awareness for the consequence of his actions, jostled his wand at Amycus. "She has nothing to do with this Amycus."

Amycus simply laughed, "Oh yes she does, orders were to kill anyone that got in our way wasn't it? I'd consider her as an obstacle."

Draco kept his wand pointed at him when another scolded, "Put you wand down boy! You work for the Dark Lord now."

Silver clenched her fists, the strength in her raised arm steadily failing. It was as if she had just listened to Draco being sentenced to death. Her wand came down to her side, for she could not longer bear the emotions running through her.

Amycus, once again finding the whole situation pleasantly satisfying, grabbed a hold of Draco's arm. He pulled his sleeve back and revealed nothing less than the Dark Mark. Amycus kept his gaze on Silver, just to catch the moment he expected she would break down, but having already seen it, she was able to compose herself long enough for him to see.

He frowned; clearly disappointed her wasn't able to receive the reaction he'd so wished to see. "So you've seen it?" he snickered, forcefully pushing Draco's arm away.

Draco looked helpless. She had never seen him so distraught. He couldn't cry – although a part of him wished for it. All he _could_ do was remain, or appear to be, strong.

"_Stupefy_!"

Amycus was struck with a jolt of red light coming from the opposite direction. Remus had his wand pointed at all of them and repeated several spells. Tonks quickly followed, along with Ginny and Ron and the rest of the Order. Silver began blasting any hex and curse she could think of, just barely missing the deatheater's retorts. Somewhere amidst it all, she noticed someone run up to the tower and come back down shortly after.

"_Levicorpus_!" She shouted as a Deatheater came rushing at her before he was hoisted into the air. She hadn't noticed the precise moment when Draco disappeared, but once she did, she began to panic. Her defense spells became shaky and feeble due to her lack of concentration. All she could think of was to find a way to break away from the fight.

"_Impedimenta_!" She screeched, but the man dodged it. Upon closer inspection, she noticed who it was, and her mouth went dry.

Fernier Greyback tackled her, drowning her pleads for help, and hoisted her body off the ground and over his shoulder. Silver screamed helplessly, banging her fists upon his back and thrusting her legs in different directions, until finally, she was able to lock his feet together with a hex. She fell to the ground, using her arms and legs to scuttle as far from him as she could from him. When suddenly, she was transported away from the raging battle around her, and into a place she had become infamously familiar with - the room with Snape, Narcissa, and Bellatrix.

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

The sound of screaming downstairs kept Draco's eyes fixed on the floor beneath him, his wand still pointed at his headmaster, but without the slightest intentions of using it. He recognized it, it was Silver. Silver was being attacked downstairs and he was up here wasting his time. His head was torn into different directions, and his heart was wrenched to pieces. He had never felt so entirely useless in his life.

"Scared for someone, Draco?" asked Dumbledore placidly.

Draco jerked his head up, "No." he said firmly.

The old man, despite his frail state, smiled at him as he dragged his body upwards to stand. He had his hands clinging to a rail, his only means of remaining able to stand. "You know Draco, conformity has always been a domineering trait within the Malfoy family."

Draco narrowed his eyes, trying to look dangerous, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"A great part of your life has been decided by your father, if I'm not mistaken, and now, you'll have your future dictated by Voldermort." He said sympathetically. "Is it worth it, Draco?"

It wasn't, but Draco knew better than to admit it out loud. "I don't have a choice."

"There is _always_ a choice." Said Dumbledore, "And if it isn't too bold for me to say, I believe yours is in present danger, downstairs."

Draco stared at the man in astonishment. For a moment, he felt as if his brain was cut open for Dumbledore to dissect and he pondered the power of closing his mind to him – not that it mattered. He thought he preferred for Dumbledore to read his regret, so when he did kill him, he would know it wasn't out of malice. Through his blurred vision, he could see his wand set in position, still out in front of him and he didn't like the feeling. That power he held over his victim, he did not like at all.

Then a pair of loud footsteps were heard trotting up the stairs leading to the astronomy tower. His heart sank, what would happen to him if someone saw him in this scenario? His wand slightly waivered, dropping a few inches lower. Hesitation was so obviously printed on his face, it was impossible to not detect what was happening at first sight. Silver Potter's dark hair emerged, unwillingly finding what she dreaded most. She looked around for Dumbledore to find him in a desperate fight to stand by the balcony.

"Draco," she pleaded softly, "please, don't do this."

"Silver, get out of here." He said, his voice dangerous.

He immediately regretted the harshness in his tone when he saw her disgruntled expression. Her beautiful face was twisted in anguish; fresh tears paved their way down her cheeks and off her chin. Rogue strands of her long dark hair stuck to her damp face, and her eyes, were relinquished. Merlin knows he tried to stay placid, maintain a cool yet menacing demeanor as he should've, but, in truth, he felt resigned as well. She ran into his arms and he enveloped her quivering body, his promise that he would protect her through this moment in time, and always. She let her body surrender, as she clung to the sides of his shirt, her tears soaking into his black suit. His hand smoothly rubbed her back, in an effort to steady her uneven breathing.

Dumbledore stood in place, without any intention of moving or escaping. Instead, he observed this remarkable scene before him. Draco's usually indisputably erect posture was slumped; his head lowered enough to rest upon the top of Silver's head. A young man; that had proved during all his years at Hogwarts to have no reserved feelings for anything, or anyone for that matter, stood before him, a vulnerable man. Dumbledore was right, his gut feeling about young Malfoy was painfully proven correct. He hadn't the same unlawful ruthlessness his father had, he wasn't as cold-hearted and forlorn as Lucius used to be. And most of all, he wasn't ready to succumb to the dark lord and dedicate his soul entirely to him because he knew it wouldn't be worth it. The painful memory of what he left behind haunting him every day for the rest of his life. Dumbledore knew his cruel intentions would surely be thwarted when he found love, and he was right.

"Mr. Malfoy." Said Dumbledore placidly.

Draco looked up at him bewildered, almost as if he had forgotten he was there. Silver pulled away from him, her tears subtly resided, and met his grey eyes. He broke away, and once again, looked back towards his headmaster.

Draco inched towards his wand, now keeping a safe distance from silver, and seized it. He brandished it towards Dumbledore, "I…I h-have to do this. I have to kill you." He started off strong, but as he was hit with the reality of it all, his voice seemed to falter him, "or…or he'll k-kill me."

"Draco, we can leave…we can hide." Silver suggested, gently holding the crook of his elbow, "Voldermort won't be able to find you."

The idea seemed so tempting, and the more he looked at her, the more convinced he became. "And what if he does find me?"

She bit her lip, fearing the possibility herself. "But what if he doesn't?"

"He'll kill my mum." Draco said softly, "He'll kill my whole family."

Silver looked at Dumbledore for help, but he had his attention pinpointed elsewhere for he had noticed something they had not. Just then, a malicious, threatening laugh echoed through the tower, filling the ears of all its inhabitants with a shrieking nerve.

"Hello Albus, so nice to see you again." the voice belonged to none other than Bellatrix Lestrange, and it became more prominent as she ventured further into the tower, and landed right behind Draco. Silver stepped away, hoping she hadn't been seen, but one look from Fernier Greyback told her the exact opposite.

Dumbledore responded with a curt nod, simply outstretching his hands in greeting.

"Expelliarmus!" Shrieked Bellatrix, "Sorry Albus, you know, just for precautionary measures." She smiled sickly. She circled around Draco, casting a glance at Silver with that same menacing smile plastered on her pale face, "Alright, I seem to have made a tad," she squished her fingers together, "tad, bit of an error. So I forgot to expand the memory charm's life. Been having little dreams, Potter? Yes, you'll have me to thank for that. Unfortunately, you've alerted your dear godfather, and not to mention, you're somewhat of an unwanted guest at the present. But of course, Albus, you know me – I'm always prepared." She peered from under her thick lashes and simply said, "Greyback."

At that same instant, the same man Silver had already thought to have crippled downstairs marched towards her. He firmly put his hands over hers and forced them behind her, then jostled his wand at her temple. "I can walk again…it's a miracle aint it?" he snapped, digging his wand further into her skin.

Draco was about to rush to her, until Bellatrix held an arm out in front of him. "Draco, love, where do you think you're going? Have you forgotten the task at hand, my dear nephew…"

"How would you like to join your godfather, Potter?" Fernier growled into her ear, sending a bad case of chills up Silver's spine. She shut her eyes, knowing that if he were to bite her, she wouldn't see it. it would be but just a memory, that she could only listen and feel, instead of watching him bite her, seeing the horror on Draco's face and the pure pleasure on Bellatrix's. No, she didn't want to remember it that way.

Dumbledore hadn't expected things to carry this far. There were three lives at stake, far too much to be risking. "Now, why don't we just take a breath of fresh air Fernier. There is no need to threaten the girl." He faked a smile, "This is simply between you and I, and Bellatrix –"

"This is Draco's task. The dark lord assigned it to him, solely. It is an honor." Bellatrix snapped, offended at Dumbledore's tone.

"Honor?" Silver suddenly lashed, choking between gasps as Fernier moved his wand to her neck, "M-murder i-isn't an honor."She fought for her voice, seeing as the wand so closely pushed into her neck, "It's cowardly."

Draco's grey eyes were bloodshot, as if he had been silently crying. She was brave, and he was succumbing in fear. His wand was still in place, but it quivered in hesitation.

Bellatrix laughed derisively, "Cowardly? Cowardly!" she advanced towards Silver with her wand in hand, "Cowardly is that pesky brother of yours! Running from the dark lord, instead of fighting him like a man!"

"Your 'lord' is the coward, Bellatrix. He's been chasing after a _child_ for sixteen years!"

"Shut up! Fernier!" Bellatrix ordered, and Silver felt a jolt of electricity send her insides into spasms. She screamed in agony, losing strength in her legs and would've fallen if it weren't for Greyback holding her up.

"Leave her alone! Don't you dare touch her!" Draco suddenly said fiercely, his words poisonous. He withdrew his wand from Dumbledore and instead pointed it at his aunt. "Make him stop." he snarled.

Bellatrix widened her eyes, amused. "Oh, Draco, what would your father say.."

"My father isn't here. He's in Azkaban, and he isn't coming back. So I really couldn't care less."

"Rather cheeky, are we?"

"Now, Bellatrix, leave the girl out of this." Mediated Dumbledore

"You see, I would, really…but I'm afraid she knows too much." Bellatrix said with false sympathy.

"let..her..go.." demanded Draco.

Silver was barely conscious, her vision drifted from color to darkness. But she fought, she fought to stay awake, forcing her eyelids open and the moment she did, a satisfying smile graced her white face. Draco had his wand pointed at his aunt, and she seemed to recoil to his demands, until a familiar figure dressed in his billowing cloak entered the room. His lank, greasy hair clung to the sides of his face, his hooked nose more pronounced than ever.

"Severus." Said Dumbledore, this time his voice wasn't calm, instead, it was a silent plead.

"Avada Kedavra."

It was just a second. Only blinking, you would've missed it, but Dumbledore was drained of life and every eye in the room fell upon Dumbledore's frail body as it fell backwards, lifeless.

Silver screamed when he fell away from sight, salty drops once again filling her tear ducts. Draco stood, bewildered as his pale grey eyes travelled from the place where Dumbledore once stood, alive, to Silver, and he began to run to her. Just before he reached her, Bellatrix pointed her wand at him.

He had that glint in his eye, the one that only reaffirmed Draco's disloyalty to the Dark Lord – and she simply wouldn't have it.

"Kill her." She piped.

He glared at her in ill-concealed disbelief. He didn't know how to respond, so instead of clever retaliation, he said, "No."

Bellatrix cocked her head, pleased. "Nephew, you are quite amusing, but I don't recall asking you."

Draco inhaled a shaky breath, trying to reposition his body so that Silver was out of visibility. "You're mad. You can't tell me what to do." His father had done more than enough of that his entire life.

The woman's lips upturned into a smile, her dark unruly hair casting shadows under her eyes and in the creases of her lips. "Maybe I can't." She let her eyes drift to the wand in her hand, "But a harmless Imperius Curse might do the trick."

Draco began to back away as she rapidly lanced her wand at him. Within seconds, he was no longer himself, and a desperate desire to kill Silver Potter ruled his every move.

But an unforeseen contradiction retaliated with Bellatrix's commands when his eyes met hers. She was terrified. She was shaking. She was red and distressed from crying. And despite it all, he'd never been more in love with her than at this moment. But he couldn't control what would happen next. "Avada Kedavra."

And then, Silver collapsed.

Draco stared at the wand in his hand, agape, and tried to comprehend how he had just used the killing curse on Silver. He was enraged and depressed, cynical yet completely comprehensive. But it wasn't long before he distinguished one emotion from the others.

"Cruccio!" Yelled Draco, hitting Greyback on the shoulder and he threw himself on the ground in unfathomable pain; Thrashing his body around in jerking movements, begging for it to stop. Draco let his knees skid against the marble floor, reaching for Silver's head and pulled her up to his chest, enveloping her in his arms. His ear fell over her chest, attempting to listen for a heartbeat. He panicked at the lack of sound coming from her body and stared into her peaceful face. It was serene and rid of all emotions, but it didn't calm him, instead he panicked and he desperately pressed her body against his, offering her warmth; hoping he could take his own life and transfer it onto her.

He couldn't hear the agony in his own voice, but Bellatrix did, and she could no longer stand and watch her very own nephew's loathing disloyalty. She ordered Amycus to lift him off her, and consequently, her head hit the ground, hard. The person he cried out for next surprised him, for he wasn't calling after Silver – he'd realized she could no longer hear him, or see him, or talk to him – but he called for Harry, so that he would protect her lifeless body.

* * *

**A/N: I decline any further commenting on this chapter lol  
****I know it's shocking, but it had to happen.  
There's still another chapter left though and everything will be explained, so stay tuned !**

**I hope you all have a lovely weekend x**

**And please review!**

**P.S. imaanikinz1004, thank you for all your comments! I haven't been able to message you directly to let you know because I believe you have it disabled. Oh and in response to your last review: No Savannah has not yet graduated, she graduates at the end of this year :) **


	32. For the Last Time

**For the Last Time**

**

* * *

**

Harry looked on from beneath the floor, out of sight as Dumbledore planned. But one thing Dumbledore hadn't planned was that his death wouldn't be the only one tonight. Harry's face was wet with cold tears and his body viciously trembled. But he couldn't move, he couldn't speak, and he couldn't rush up to his sister's limp body and cradle it in his arms. Malfoy had murdered her right before his very eyes, and he felt so guilty. All he was able to do was stand back and watch it all unfold before him. And then, they were gone.

Snape was frowning, unhappy with Bellatrix's unfair demands on Draco; and even unhappier that a defenseless student had been murdered on unjust grounds.

"That isn't why we were here Bellatrix!" He scolded while they all travelled down the winding staircase as Bellatrix used her wand against her nephew once more in order to subdue his frenzied state. Not before long, the group found themselves walking into a raging battle; but the witch ignored Snape, too happy to have him dampen her spirits. He pulled her shoulder back, causing her to groan annoyingly.

"What? Is it such a bad thing that I wanted a bit of fun? And so what, widdle Draco didn't kill Dumbledore, you did. He couldn't possibly leave empty-handed."

Draco walked obediently behind them, once again under his aunt's curse that would soon be lifted after they've exited the castle.

"See he's taking it quite well." She laughed, "And just think of how gracious the Dark Lord would be! I've managed to have Harry Potter's sister killed! How much more vulnerable can Potter be than now? It's completely brilliant."

Something of more importance seemed to have caught Snape's eye, "Faster!" He yelled to everyone around him, "Potter's after us!"

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Ginny cringed at the desperate howls of sorrow bursting from the top of the Astronomy Tower. They were hardly audible to anyone too focused on their fights, but with Ginny's main concern being Harry's safety, she was alertly monitoring all aspects of the battle – including bits that need not have included her. Moments later, she caught a sight of Harry as he darted off after a group of Deatheater's that had recently been seen leaving the astronomy tower.

"Stupefy!" She said, finishing off the woman fighting her. She looked around urgently, and when it seemed as if no one would follow her, she hurriedly ascended the stairs. However, there was no one left in the Astronomy tower, whatever happened had already been taken care of. She cautiously proceeded to step further into the dome, overlooking the serene night. It seemed impossible, that the sky would seem so peaceful when the world below it was not. She let her knees buckle and fell onto the floor, exhausted, when something horrifying caught her eye. Ginny shrieked in terror as she got on her knees and crawled towards her dear friend.

"No. No. No. No." She kept repeating threw her head up against her chest to listen for any sign of life; but just as Draco had previously experienced, Ginny heard nothing. The ginger intently stared Silver's face, waiting for any minute movements, because she just couldn't be dead. She couldn't. She was determined to awaken her. With clear determination, she lifted her friend's limp body from the ground and rushed down the stairs, tears welling up in her eyes. By the time she had made it downstairs, most of the room had cleared, with the exception of a few stragglers.

Professor McGonagall, who was about to turn out of the room, to inspect the rest of the castle, postponed her wishes when saw Ginny hopelessly standing at the end of the staircase and hastened to her.

"Oh, no." She whispered, realizing who it was Ginny held. "Take her to the hospital wing Weasley, hurry, don't waste another second."

And on her instructions, Ginny did what she was told, mostly because she couldn't quite think properly anymore. Several students curiously watched on at the sight of the redhead running down the corridors. A few were recognized Silver hanging off her arms, and others eventually heard the news through others.

Anthony Goldstein stood at the doors of the infirmary, holding a bleeding arm tight to his body when he asked Ginny who it was she was holding.

"Bloody hell." whispered Anthony, "Is she hurt? Is she okay?"

Ginny whimpered, "I think she's dead."

Anthony stood, frozen, as Ginny pushed past him and into the room. Madame Pomfrey took Silver from Ginny's arms and gently placed her on a crisp white bed. "Sit please." She instructed Ginny while she tended to Silver.

Ginny tried to stay strong, because that's who she was. Ginny Weasley was brave, and she never cried. But the small, hurting girl sitting on a chair across from her dying friend told a different story.

"Do you know what happened, dear?" Madame Pomfrey asked Ginny.

She shook her head, "No."

"Hand me that blue flask over there, quickly please. Yes, that one."

Ginny handed her the potion, stepping back to give her space, "Is she d-dead?"

She took a few moments to answer, trying to lift Silver's head so she would swallow the blue liquid. "We're about to find out."

Ginny curiously moved opposite to Madame Pomfrey. "You mean there's hope?"

"Look." she ordered, pointing towards the back of Silver's wrist. The small, delicate veins there were glowing blue. "She's got a pulse, but if we don't act quickly, I'm afraid we'll lose her."

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Harry was short of breath and felt as if his legs were about to fall apart, but he kept running as fiercely as ever. The oncoming sight of Snape's black silhouette was enough drive to get him past the pain. He followed them outside, down to Hagrid's hut, and threw his wand out. "Sectumsempra!" he bellowed at the loathsome man.

Snape quickly dodged it, "Do _not_ use my own spell against me, Potter."

Harry was furious. He couldn't think, except for his plotting of ways to avenge his sister and Dumbledore's deaths.

"He _trusted _you…and you _killed_ him!" Harry yelled, "YOU KILLED HIM!"

Snape stared at him indifferently, turning his head at the sound of someone approaching.

"Stupefy!" Harry said, malignantly pointing his wand at Draco Malfoy.

With a flicker of his wand, Snape stopped the spell from reaching the blonde who had just recently recovered from his bewitchment. He secretly spited Snape for blocking Harry's arms, because admittedly, he felt he deserved it.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled at Harry, "I'm so sorry!"

"You're pathetic Malfoy. You deserve _everything_ that's happened to you." Harry threatened, "and I hope you rot in Azkaban with your wretched father!"

Draco's insides cringed. He never believed anything coming from his archenemy would ever be worthy enough to affect him the way it did. "I didn't want to do it." said Draco, not as an excuse for his actions, but so that Harry could know the truth.

"But you did!"

"Please, listen, I was imperiused!"

Harry swallowed, hard. He was there. He knew he spoke the truth, but he couldn't find anyone else to blame.

"I don't care." Harry retorted, his voice cracking, "I _don't_ care. My sister is _dead, _because of you!"

"Draco, leave it alone." drawled Snape.

"I killed Silver." He said monotonously, startling Snape with the blank look in his eyes, "It's my fault."

Snape covertly glanced at Harry, watching him struggle to stand. He had already accepted things had completely spiraled out of control. But all he could do at the moment was make sure Draco made it back to the Dark Lord, alive. "We must go, Draco."

The three of them were soon distracted with sounds coming from the castle. Harry already knew what was causing such a stir. Dumbledore's body had been discovered by the rest of the school. With a final push, he was able to stand again. He knew what he had to do. Dumbledore wouldn't want any more blood spilled tonight, especially not on his hands.

He ran back up to the castle, never looking back at the deatheaters, to see his headmaster for the last time.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! I thought we lost her for a second! Silver's got a pulse - cross your fingers!**  
**(Sorry, I love building up the suspense)  
Oh, and I'm not sure if I made Draco a little too vulnerable in this chapter, but it's just the way I imagined him to be after the whole "ijustkilledtheloveofmylife" dilemma. Let me know if it was okay (: **

**Short update, I know! But the rest isn't quite ready yet and I thought I should AT LEAST leave you guys with something after that terrible cliffhanger last chapter.**

**Please review! :D**  
**And have a lovely week x **


	33. Love Conquers All

**Love Conquers All**

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After a few moments lament, Hermione was able to divert Harry towards the hospital wing.

"I'm not hurt, Hermione." He said morosely, contemplating the ill-aroused fates of his classmates and professors.

"Madame Pomfrey wants you up there." She said, taking a hold of Harry's hand. "Besides, everyone's already there."

Harry looked down at their intertwined fingers. It was a symbol of their friendship: long-lasting, courageous, genuine. But right now, it seemed more like a symbol of her sacrifices for choosing to remain his friend.

They had reached the hospital wing. Neville was closest to the door, seemingly asleep, while Ron, Ginny, Lupin, Tonks, and Luna were split between two beds placed beside each other. At the sound of the doors opening, they all looked up, probably hoping for a miracle. Ginny ran towards Harry, throwing her thin arms around his neck and letting her face nestle into his neck. It was one of those moments where the warmth of a loved one could further dilate your emotional state, and the tears he had been holding for so long reigned free.

Hermione parted from the pair. She felt as if everywhere she turned, there was more sorrow to be felt. On one bed lay Bill, Ron's brother, and on the other lay Silver; both in an epic struggle for their lives. Everything was a mess. Lupin, who had always had a reputation for being overly anxious and pessimistic, looked as if he had no life left in him. His eyes never left Silver's unconscious face – only on the rare exception when he would check on Bill. Tonks had her hand on his shoulder, comforting him whenever she'd feel his body tense; Ron waited for Hermione to come sit beside him; and Harry stroked Ginny's hair as she continued to weep into his shoulder.

Harry's teary eyes drifted towards Silver. He wondered why Lupin was still there, watching over her, when he very well knew there was no spell to bring the dead back to life. At that moment, Lupin looked up, noticing his inquisitive meditation.

"She's alive." He said, smiling faintly.

Harry could hardly believe him. "Lupin, as much as I wish that were true –"

"She is. Madame Pomfrey gave her some elixir of sorts.." Ron began to explain before Harry stepped forward, giving Ginny no other option but to separate from him.

"That's impossible. Malfoy _killed _her. I saw it with my own eyes." He said anxiously, reaching down to touch Silver's hand and surprised to find that it wasn't hard and cold like he expected.

"What do you mean, Harry?" Lupin questioned, "Draco killed her?"

"With the killing curse." Harry replied anxiously.

This had caught everyone's attention, and they all looked away from their own distractions to watch him.

"I saw the whole thing." He began to re-tell the events he had been able to witness but unable to intervene upon due to Dumbledore's spell to keep him hidden. He began with Draco's arrival at the tower and his intentions, the moment when Silver interrupted and almost changed his mind, and then to the climatic arrival of Bellatrix and Fernier.

"After Snape killed Dumbledore, Bellatrix wasn't happy. She told Draco he had to kill Silver, because she had seen and heard too much."

"Well, did he listen?" inquired Ginny impatiently.

It took Harry a few moments to set aside his anger, and give a factual account of what happened, really. "No, he didn't." his fests unclenched, "Bellatrix imperiused him into doing it. But I don't get it….he chanted the curse and…she received it – it killed her."

Lupin almost smiled. "A curse is just like any other spell, Harry. You've got to _really _mean it for it to work properly. Think of all those times that you've spoken the correct words, but haven't got the concentration or passion to actually put it in action. A curse is the very same. It can only be successfully preformed if it comes from deeply rooted hatred and loathing. You have to _really_ want to murder someone for it to work….but to be able to convince yourself of that while being imperiused.." he trailed off, feeling overwhelmed with emotions, "…we've underestimated Draco, I'm afraid."

For the first time that night, there was a strange feeling in the air, and it wasn't of sadness and hopelessness. Ginny smiled and gently reached for Silver's hand.

"You mean to say, Remus, that the reason Silver is alive, despite being hit, is because Draco managed to outsmart the Imperius curse?"

Remus nodded, sitting at the end of his goddaughters bed & looking at her as if he were seeing her for the first time, "I'm afraid you were wrong harry," he looked at him for just a second, "draco has a heart, a rather strong one in fact, he'd just forgotten how to use it."

"It was love." whispered Luna distantly.

Around them Molly Weasley was in tears, both for Silver's and Bill's miracle. They were both alive.

"And once he reconnected with the only person who could teach him what it was to love, he learnt it was never really gone, just put on reserve until she came along again." Luna continued in a dreamy voice.

Hermione sniffled into a tissue, eyeing Ron surreptitiously to find him a bit out of sorts – struggling to keep his face relaxed.

Even harry, who had never imagined he would ever feel anything else but hate for Malfoy, seemed to have developed a new perspective on his life-long foe. "He really did love her then, didn't he?"

"He still does harry," Hermione blurted, still clutching on to her tissue, "But he thinks he's killed her!" She wailed in dismay, seeking comfort in Ron's shoulder. He put an arm around her.

Remus frowned, the wrinkles in his face becoming more evident, "He might be the only person to have ever accomplished such a feat, and he didn't even have the chance to learn of it."

"He will." Ginny said decidedly, "We'll find him, won't we harry?"

Harry stared into her face, analyzing each feature & saving it to memory for he liked to think of her often, especially when times were difficult and uncertain like today. "Regardless of what's happened," Harry began, "He is still a deatheater - has everyone forgotten about that?"

The group silenced, each fighting their own retrograding feelings.

"And hows Bill?" Harry said, breaking the pensive quiet.

Molly took a deep breath, "He was attacked by Fernier Greyback, Harry…he'll never be the same again, I'm afraid."

Remus looked at him, "There will most likely be some contamination but we can only tell the consequences of the attack when he wakes.."

At that moment, the doors swung open and Fleur De La Coeur came rushing in, her brilliant blonde hair messy and undone.

"Where iz my Bill?" she yelled desperately, "Where iz ee?"

Arthur and Molly stood, letting her take a look at their son. His face was mutilated. She had already somewhat expectant of what she would see, having been explained of her fiancée's condition prior to being let in to the infirmary to avoid any panic or shock.

"He was such a handsome boy," began Mrs. Weasley, "Of course…that doesn't matter…it doesn't…and he had so much..he was going to be married!"

"And what do you mean by zat?" Fleur said in outrage, "You theenk Bill will not wish to marry me anymore? You do not theenk he will still love me?" She whimpered, clutching his hand to her chest. "I will fight for him!"

Mrs. Wesley looked on in shock, "it's not that dear…"

"Or did you theenk I would not marry him because of ow he looks?" she looked at her expectedly, "or per'aps you hoped? I am pretty enough for the both of us! These scars show zat my husband is brave, and I am proud to marry him."

The room was in complete surprise. They all exchanged glances with each other, waiting to see what would happen next, when with an impromptu invitation, Tonks spoke.

"You see! _She_ doesn't care that he's a werewolf, yet here you continue to torment me and say you aren't good enough –"

"I'm not!" Remus interrupted. "Tonks, you need someone young, someone whole."

"I don't need that." She said with a strained voice, "I need _you, _Remus. Why can't you understand it?"

"I've told you, I'm too dangerous." He averted his eyes to Silver, trying to refocus his attention to where it was needed most.

"You say that, yet you let Silver live with you?" asked Tonks, lowering her voice, for she did not mean it as an ill-intended remark towards Silver.

"And you see what came of that? She spent a mere few weeks with me and then I had to send her away to Arthur and Molly to be taken care of. Don't you see? I can't even provide my goddaughter with the proper care she deserves." He said sadly.

Suddenly, Silver's lips moved. Ginny moved in closer from opposite of Remus, "What was that, love?"

"Y-yes….y-you have." She said slowly and with struggle.

Remus held her hand tightly and smiled. "Thank you."

Harry watched on from behind Ginny, anxiously expecting her eyes to open at any time, but her recovery was slow. She didn't talk after that. Instead, she fell asleep again, still lacking the energy to remain awake for too long.

"She's going to be alright." Said Harry to everyone in the room, "We all will."

**\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

_Two weeks later._

Savannah finally graduated, leaving Hogwarts behind. Terry and her never made up, but he was there to hold her hand as she strolled around the school on the last day, for the last time. The shock of Silver's death hit the entire student body, but most especially the Ravenclaw's, like a ground-trembling earthquake. Consequently, Dominic and Blake finally admitted how they felt about each other, realizing that there was no better time than the present, and now had each other to mourn the death of their best friend. Luna planted a dandulip in Silver's honor - a rare flower that was said to be seen by those who have passed - although, she very well knew Silver wasn't at all gone, but she did it for the mere gesture. When questions were directed towards the newly bestowed headmistress, McGonagall, of what had become of Silver Potter, she would simply tell them her life wasn't taken in vain; she died courageously defending her peers, but unfortunately, a body was never found.

Upon the news that a service would not be held for her, Blake and Dominic took it upon themselves to hold a small funeral outside by the lake. All but one attended; Draco Malfoy was no longer at Hogwarts. He was now to fulfill his servitude to the Dark Lord - firstly by proving his worth, seeing as he wasn't able to kill Dumbledore as was intended. Despite the circumstances, there wasn't a single day that passed that he wouldn't think of her.

Once Silver was back to health, Ginny told her the entire story of that night, filling in the gaps of missing memories. What Draco had done to save her moved her to tears - tears that were both mixed with sadness and joy, because from now on, she wouldn't be allowed any contact with him. For her safety, Remus and the others had decided that her revival remain unknown to anyone outside of their small family. The year that lay ahead was turbulent, dangerous, and unexpected for them all, especially Harry and his sister. With the death of Dumbledore came the evil reign of Voldermort and there wasn't a single soul that was safe.

From that day on, news of Silver Potter's death was slapped in the front cover of every newspaper and magazine - it made headlines - and, along with Dumbledore's funeral, the news would be the most talked about story in history.

But if there was one thing Silver was certain of, it was that she would find Draco one day, and together, they would be happy again.

_- To be Continued -_

_

* * *

_**A/N: Ahh it's done! I can hardly believe I've already written two stories with Silver - I would've never thought I had enough imagination for so much material! LOL  
Hopefully, it doesn't abandon me as I venture into the...NEXT ONE!  
Of course I couldn't end it here! I'd be so lost without Silver and Draco, i'm sort of obsessed.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and favorited and alerted and anything else you could possibly do on the site. You're all too amazing for words!  
Thank you for sticking it out with me and Silver, and hanging in til' the end of the year! (corny, i know) **

**Although, I am lacking a title for the next story, I do have the first few chapters written, so hopefully I'll be posting it up within the next two weeks.  
I might get it in faster if you guys leave me really awesome reviews though :D  
The next one will be a lot more grown up in the sense that it's more about their lives after Hogwarts...but i'll stop there because I don't want to give too much away!**

**Have a lovely week my loves x **


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